Category Archives: quote

Beautifully Untamed – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement ….” Sir David Attenborough

Beautifully Untamed

I so love nature's ability to be everything at once,
she proposes patterns and structures
then undoes the whole show
with a wicked grin,
that one random round shape in a 
rectangular tessellation,
disrupted,
cankered,
munted,
mutated,
nature untamed.


Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️ 

4 Comments

Filed under awareness, Free Verse, life, nature, poem, quote

The Quality Of Suspicion – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Kim is hosting poetics with an invitation to follow the format Les Murray’s ‘The Quality of Sprawl’ where Murray lists his definitions of sprawl in creative ways. The challenge invites following the form with our own choice of word. I chose to use suspicion. For more details and link’s to Murray’s poem follow the link below.

dVerse Poets – Poetics – Quality Poems

Photo by Alex Green pexels.com

“To be suspicious is not a fault. To be suspicious all the time without coming to a conclusion is the defect.” Lu Xun

The Quality Of Suspicion

The quality of suspicion is like the journalist,
hot tipped about the flaky politician's lack of 
integrity who, in turn, finds that he is suspicious 
of his staff who, maybe, leaked his lean ethical 
behaviour, and suspicion is the worry of the 
office mole who distrusts the journalist's motives.   

Suspicion is that tell-tale niggle that something 
or someone is right off balance, and the moment 
invites sober reflection, it is the paradox of not 
knowing whether the gut is really just twitchy,
crystal balling, or right on target, this is its 
pure delicacy that easily pulls us in to its feast.

Suspicion is that awkward feeling deeply harboured that
we can't deliver, a sort of sinking titanic moment of the 
heart, it is the masked imposter parading so cooly
while sweating heavy inside, fooling only themself, not
knowing that everyone suspects, but it doesn't matter.

Suspicion is that we are not alone in the universe or
that we really are alone in our tribe after all, like the 
whistleblower who risked everything and died a little
in the ensuing isolation when invitations dried up,
like the Dead Sea really dying, slowly, imperceptibly.

Suspicion is that healthy disposition that gives us
nine lives at least, as we navigate all the certain
uncertainties of our less than perfect lives, and it is
the first cousin of discernment which gets us through
what to have for breakfast to holding to integrity.



Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️



17 Comments

Filed under awareness, Free Verse, life, poem, quote

Don’t Be Fooled – Prosery by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Merril is hosting Prosery (144 words) with an invitation to use the line “An early moon is just a piece of change in the softening sky.” from the poem ‘Spring Poem For The Sake of Breathing, Written After a Walk to Foster Island.’ by James Masao Mitsui.

dVerse Poets – Prosery – Breathing and Moons

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

“The moon was so beautiful that the ocean held up a mirror.” Ani Di Franco

Don’t Be Fooled

There are those who dare to say that an early moon is just a piece of change in the softening sky, but I know different. Moon captures tides and winds, holds keys to days and seasons. Don’t be fooled by howling cliches, new shoots arise when she is full, grunions launch on to beaches to lay eggs, while wildebeests make plans by her cycle.

Even so, she is far more subtle than all of that. If you look closely, moon is always present, sometimes you can glimpse her hiding in the clouds watching over everything. Later moon puts sister sun to bed and tenderly guards the night for softening lovers lest they be betrayed. Moon is no piece, no mere pawn in this celestial drama, moon is the centre feature, queen of all sighs. She is life’s muse for all that moves together.

Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️ 

19 Comments

Filed under life, moon, prose, quote, romance

Memories Are Best Stored In The Heart – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Photo: from 7dtoys.com (who knew that balsa wood could be so much fun?)

“Memory …. is the diary that we all carry about with us.” Oscar Wilde

Memories Are Best Stored In The Heart

My memories live in my heart,

though some are literal,

clogging up space in the house,

chosen pieces of personal value,

a bookmark from a friend,

the novel which once belonged to

my great uncle who died

wrapped in his parachute over Arnhem,

craft my sons made in school that

would make an intruder smile but

which open my heart when I see them,

an old shirt that frames memories,

all tangible and

not all flattering,

ephemeral,

withered by time;

I prefer the portable one’s,

they are always with me

wherever I am.

Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️ 

18 Comments

Filed under Free Verse, life, memory, poem, quote

In Winter – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Photo: southern most section of the Leeuwin – Naturaliste National Park, a typical winter’s day.

“… one cannot look at the sea without wishing for the wings of a swallow.” Sir Richard Francis Burton

In Winter

In June the southern ocean

reflects the winter sky

turning to a foreboding battle-ship grey,

an apt colour for an angry boiling sea

whose tentacles reach out along the shore

to snare the unaware beachcomber,

shooting gouts of dark water everywhere,

swallowing sand as if it were sponge cake,

spewing sea grass and cuttlefish,

and still there are those who dare to

push out into this maelstrom in a tinny

and wrestle the waves,

whereas I prefer my feet on the shore

in winter.

Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

19 Comments

Filed under awareness, beach, boats, Free Verse, life, poem, quote, seasons

Self Reading – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Image found on pinterest.com

“I am my best work – a series of road maps, reports recipes, doodles, and prayers from the front lines.” Audre Lorde

Self Reading

I traced the contours of the map,

the rise and fall of hills,

long lengths of a glorious river bank,

wooded slopes and rocky outcrops,

contours that reminded me of my

own scarred skin which I could trace

with finger or memory,

each experience body stored for

reference to the rise and fall of days,

long lengths of relationships,

contours that speak of living;

words sometimes blur and bend,

but I would trust myself as map.

Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

14 Comments

Filed under awareness, Free Verse, life, poem, quote

The Language Of Storms – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Mish is hosting Open Link Night the night we choose a poem to post.

dVerse Poets – OLN

Image: found at trainerslibrary.com

“Change only favours minds that are diligently looking and preparing for discovery.” Louis Pasteur

The Language of Storms

There’s a feeling of relief

when the storm has passed and

all that was anxiously anticipated

failed to materialise (again),

while life rolls on in a truce

between heaven and hell

until a storm interrupts with tension,

stealing our focus,

like the unwelcome visitor,

sickness, accident,

or unpleasant experience,

at some point relief comes and

we return to something called normal

forgetting, until the next time,

and I wonder that we’re missing something,

that storms are not fearful intrusions,

in some unforeseen way

they are our guides,

we just need to pay attention

to the language of storms.

Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

20 Comments

Filed under awareness, creativity, Free Verse, life, poem, quote

A Different Song – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Rain Falling in the Beelu National Park.

“Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.” Paul Theroux

A Different Song

Winter sings a different song

with words that can make me shiver

and hold my arms tightly against myself,

while rain can cause me to take shelter,

except when simpatico, then I can bear

its gentle impromptu kisses,

whatever its style the rain intrigues me,

at the beginning it is individual

later it is gathered together as one,

the more I watch the rain the more I

want to be gathered as one.

Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️ 

13 Comments

Filed under bush walking, Free Verse, life, poem, quote, seasons

She Knew – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Sarah is hosting poetics with an invitation to write a poem using an animal as verb.

dVerse Poets – Poetics – Acting Like Animals

Photo: Magpie, Beelu National Park, Mundaring.

“Like a magpie, I am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales, dead languages, weird folk beliefs, fascinating religions, and more.” Laini Taylor

She Knew

She knew that her friends

wondered how much more

stuff she would bring home from

her various treasure hunts around

the opportunity shops,

she cared little for their wondering,

after all, what some would call an

addiction she would brush aside with

– I’m doing my bit for charity,

but even she knew the house was full,

her shiny treasures were piling up

on top of each other in every corner,

she always owned that she magpied,

ever collecting,

only men were elusive.

Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

27 Comments

Filed under Free Verse, identity, life, passion, poem, quote

Just A Little Bit Of Pepper – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Punam is hosting the Quadrille (44 words) with an invitation to write about pepper, any of its forms.

dVerse Poetry – Quadrille – Pass The Pepper Please

Photo: babyfacestore.com

“He who has the pepper may season as he lists.” George Herbert

Just A Little Bit Of Pepper

If you want it fast

till it burns

then try the chilli,

But if you prefer slow warmth,

seduced, invited

then go with pepper

she will awaken your senses

with just a little grind,

and just a little bit of pepper

on your tongue.

Copyright 2023 ©️Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

19 Comments

Filed under poem, Quadrille, quote, romance