Writing poetry, for me, is an escape valve that I use to download my thoughts about situations and circumstances that cause me great stress and turbulent emotion. I have never been a person who wrote poems about beautiful things and nature, although I enjoy reading this type of poetry myself as I find it soothing.
My poetry is usually an outpouring of emotion, often fueled by my own inability to find a solution or remedy to a given situation. I express myself in words to release my anguish and I find it does work well for me.
Open a new door, the book of poems I wrote with fellow poet, Kim Blades, includes a lot of poems about poverty, corruption and the frustration and pain of life for many people living in Southern Africa. Kim’s poetry is like mine in this respect, although nature conservation and the threats posed by global warming and mindless destruction of nature flow strongly through her poems as this is what particularly moves her.
This is one of my favourite poem in this collection is called The Thunderstorm. It expresses the sadness and frustration I felt during a heavy thunderstorm while watching a group of beggars continuing to stand begging in the rain because of their desperate plight.
The Thunderstorm
by Robbie Cheadle
A deluge of rain tumbles from the sky
like a bucket turned upside down
the beggars impervious to its ferocity
faces impassive, no fear or frown.
Young boys stand on the roadside
eyes smouldering with hunger’s pain
need forcing them to continue standing
despite the lightning and drenching rain.
One holds a bedraggled cardboard sign
the other a tattered polystyrene cup
each hoping a passerby will pause
and give something to eat or sup.
A young mother stands shivering
an old umbrella sheltering her child
his eyes huge and frightened
he’s never laughed or even smiled.
In the middle of an intersection
an old man stands bent and alone
his head bowed in supplication to the torrent
he doesn’t complain, sigh or moan.
It’s rare to see the elderly on the street
poverty means many don’t live that long
my heart fills with a wrenching pain
for this anguished society to which I belong.
***
This poem is dedicated to the thousands of starving strays thatare also, often completely overlooked, victims of poverty
The stray
by Kim Blades
Small, grimy and alone
a little dog without a home,
scratching and biting at fleas
his ghetto den has no keys,
he lives among lopsided shacks
piles of rubbish and dirt tracks,
and even though he kills rats
people don’t leave him scraps,
bug and dirt filled dung for dinner
means every day he gets thinner,
cool, rainy days suit him best
with water to drink and refresh,
rain washes his hair free of mud
and rinses his wounds free of blood,
he constantly seeks a friendly face
but is unsuccessful in this poor place,
so he remains all alone –
a little dog without a home.
Open a new door, a collection of poems
Blurb
Open a New Door is a poetic peep into the lives of the poets, Kim Blades and Robbie Cheadle, both of whom live in South Africa.
The book is divided into four categories: God bless Africa, God bless my family and friends, God bless me and God bless corporates and work. Each part is sub-divided into the good, the bad and the ugly of the two poets’ experiences, presented in rhyming verse, free-style, haiku and tanka, in each of these categories and include colourful depictions of their thoughts and emotions.
The purpose of this book of poetry is encapsulated in the following tanka and haiku poems:
What drives me to write?
To share my innermost thoughts
The answer is clear
It’s my personal attempt
To make some sense of this world.
Inspiration blossoms
Like the unfurling petals
Of the Desert Rose
Blog – Twitter – Goodreads – Google+
Facebook – FB Sir Chocolate Books
Amazon:
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
I love this post, Robbie and Chris. Robbie, I remember this poem very well when I read your book and I was touched by your sensitivity to the boy and poverty in general. I’m glad you find writing poetry a way to reduce your stress!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Miriam, and for saying you remembered this poem which means it did make its mark. I find the poverty I see every day very upsetting. I will never be able to phase it out of my mind like some people seem to do.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’re welcome, Robbie, you did a good job writing this poem.
The poverty is epidemic in the US with so many homeless people. I’m upset about the government system and the social system. When I was in Hong Kong for 10 days, I only saw one homeless person. Families take care of each other and people could find low paying jobs to survive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful poetry, Robbie! Poetry seems to be a good valve for dealing with anxiety and other displeasures! Like you write…”to help make sense fo the world.” I think photography does that for me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, anything creative is a good escape valve. Thanks for reading, Terri.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank ypu for this share.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for reading, Bella.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Reblogged this on Walt's Writings and commented:
A great post by Robbie Cheadle on why she writes poetry, plus two very moving poems!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for sharing, Walt 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re very welcome!
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing, Walt.
LikeLiked by 2 people
My pleasure dear friend 😇❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your poems brought tears to my eyes too, Robbie! But wonderful written, and so useful never to forget this. Thank you! Michael
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for reading and commenting, Michael. I am so pleased you enjoyed these poems.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great work Robbie ! Thank you very much for sharing. Hope you all have a beautiful Sunday! Michael
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for raising awareness of poverty and other important issues Robbie and Kim. These are two very poignant poems.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Brigid. I am glad you enjoyed them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lovely, Robbie! Your poetry speaks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jennie. I am pleased you found this poems moving.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Indeed! You’re welcome, Robbie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
SaBeautifully written powerful poetry that brought tears to my eyes. As the owner of 10 rescue dogs, The Stray touched my soul.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Walt. Your comment has made me happy. Poetry is about emotion.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You are so very welcome dear friend. They were both so moving and U could see it all in my mind as I read. Great job Robbie!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Reblogged this on Robbie's inspiration and commented:
I am over at TheStoryReadingApe blog today with an article about why I write poetry. Thank you for hosting Kim and I, Chris.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoyed reading this, Robbie. Its ironic and a little sad that interspersed with your touching poem about the beggers WordPress (or one of the advertisers who place on ads on blogs) inserted an advertisement about how to make money in London. We live in a world where values are sometimes skewed. The very best of luck with the book sales to you and Kim. All the best – Kevin
LikeLiked by 2 people
Unfortunately, these are WordPress Ads – They seem to be increasing the number of ads shown on our pages, Kevin
LikeLiked by 2 people
I appreciate that the ads are generated by WordPress, Chris. I do appreciate that they have nothing to do with your good self, indeed my own site suffers from these pesky ads. In any case they in no way detract from Robbie’s great article. All the best – Kevin
On 5/19/19, Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Kevin. That is the world we live in. Lip service is paid to societal issues but nothing is done because the people with the power want to retain it and don’t really see or want to acknowledged the problem.
LikeLiked by 2 people