Free Verse - Blog Posts
If I Wait - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: wallpaperflare.com “Waiting lies heavy on my lids” Sylvia Plath If I WaitThe letting gois most curious,all that running up hillchasing after anythingjust out of reach,something craved,desiredeven lusted,breathless.Even the child's balloontaunting on the eddies or a breezecome backcome arounddown to earthas the chasing turns to waiting,it always comes to me. Copyright 2025 ©️Paul Vincent…
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Same Old - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay “When I have fears that I may cease to be” John Keats Same OldA while backdigging in the weedy spring undergrowth,discarded skincaught my attention,surely a goanna's butno, a snake came byjust to remind methat you can peal offthe outre layerwhile the inner canremain the same old same. Copyright 2025 ©️Paul Vincent CannonAll Rights Reserved ®️
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Watermelon Whine - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Kim is hosting Poetics with an invitation to write a poem with an opening hook, Philip Larkin’s work offered as a prime example, follow the link below for more detail: dVerse Poets – Poetics – Getting Hooked on Opening Lines Photo: greencollar.com.au “And I am sharp as steel with discontent” Claude McKay Watermelon Whine Blackened, rotting water melon on the vine sans coffee post…
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Plum Bay Go - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image by günter from Pixabay “Like a jar you housed infinite tenderness.” Pablo Neruda Plum Bay GoIf I couldI would tradeall my diamondsthat I don't haveand fly to the bay of plums,you smiledknowing that Iprefer the yellow onesyou the red,red or yellowthey are smooth,lush, yet firm to touchlike the flesh of youthful thighs. Copyright 2025 ©️Paul Vincent CannonAll Rights Reserved ®️
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Old Or New Ways? - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Bjorn is hosting Open Link Night (with live edition) the night we choose a poem to post. dVerse Poets – OLN Photo: trillmag.com “My nostrils prickle with nostalgia.” Sylvia Plath Old Or New Ways?That piece of musicline of poetry so famousbook that imprints the heartso beautifulso moving,but are they moving nowin new ways,or are you moved thirty years agoin old ways,your emotions…
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Black Heart - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: from obsev.com “For still deception was his trade …” Mary Darby Robinson Black HeartRipe orangeon a stark white tableplain to see,cutlery draw adjacentI took a skewer and pierced ittesting its age,so old,with a knifesectioned it,dry, black hearttaking the peelto the bin,the rest to the whirling dervish bladesto pulp and poured it in the compost bin,haven't seen the worms for…
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Gestures - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse De is hosting the Quadrille (44 words sans title) with an invitation to write a poem using some form of the word enchant. dVerse Poets – Quadrille – Some Enchanted Poem Photo: literaryfictions.com Greta Garbo “Then suddenly there was sun and the music came back …” Mark Strand GesturesPeople always talkabout eyeshow they draw you,peer deeply intoyour soul, but there is deep magicin…
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I Wondered - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: exibartstreet.com “I languish in thy penetrating clasp” Ameen Rihani I WonderedI wandered along the pavementfamiliar cracks and gumand the dum, dum, dum, ofthe crawling traffic, leaves clattering the autumn ground,smell of coffee my destinationcouple kissing in the lee,inside all dusky, dusty hipstergreasy thumbed newsspilled coffee soaking crumbs,he crimps my loyalty cardI carry my…
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Pale Cairn - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
An Ekphrastic for Paul Brooke’s Ekphrastic Challenge Art Work: Sara Elizabeth Bell ‘Stone Tower, Laurel Creek’ Pale CairnTrickle above a whisperpast the pale cairn of hopesomeone carefully laid as guide for the watershould it fail to see itsdownward directionalong this bed of life,neatly tucked into my witness eye whichmight later recount atold you so if it daredto find its own way,the cairn a…
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Missing Mars - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image: scitechdaily.com the Orion space capsule “Hear the silent signals from outer space …” Dejan Stojanovic Missing MarsSeptember 2, 2026it has been twelve monthssince the last communicationwith the starship crew,there is no bleep from the screenno blink on the plotterno tears for the crewD, JD and Eout in the ether,don't y'all come back nowya hear,we've run out of champagne. Copyright 2025…
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Will You Be Possible? - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image: simplypsychology.com “We live in secret cities and we travel unmapped roads.” Alberto Rios Will You Be Possible?How possible is a space,how will it be filled,occupied livedbreathedplannednamed,will it be invitingwill it be approvedabusedusedto its own detriment,becoming a non-space?For what will it be knowngood or ill?Will it have meaning,whose?What position will it…
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To The Last - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Laura is hosting Meeting The Bar with an invitation to write an Open or Free Verse poem. For more detail follow the link below: dVerse poets – MTB – Open to the Question Photo by Fernanda Pereira: https://www.pexels.com “Kiss by kiss I cover your tiny infinity” Pablo Neruda To The LastSheuncertain of her desireopened the door tothe feast withinopened the bottletwo glasseslong…
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Sorry, Not Buying Today - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: supernanny.co.uk “… away from this impressive terror I must be …” June Jordan Sorry, Not Buying TodayMy motheris an almanacher mouth runs longheart slow to speakof anything but self,in responseperhaps a practicefor repose,my father was mutethough his fists spokea dialect I knew well,I called it duck and weave,sometimes by wordoften by muscle,the object -avoiding painsurvivalin a place…
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Sure - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Melissa is hosting Poetics with an invitation to write a poem that is about lying, for more detail follow the link below: dVerse Poets – Poetics – April Fools Image: learning-mind.com “To claim, at a dead party, to have spotted a grackle, when in fact you haven’t of late, can do no harm.” Richard Wilbur SureO yeah, surekeep goingbut I gotta tell youonly 47% of what you saidis true…
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A Bigger Table - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image: found on tumblr.com “Giving has many faces” Alberto Rios A Bigger TableMy flag is a dishclothmy creed is generositymy anthem a song of welcomemy praxis is sharing,I take down wallsI open doorsI desire to createI desire to learnyour name, your ways,your part in this wildwonderful journeywhere nothing can be smallespecially the heart,and, if this catches firethis love -we'll need a bigger…
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To Kill A Plant - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: found on pinterest.com – trumpet vine. “The poets must give us imagination of peace …” Denise Levertov To Kill A PlantNot a native species a foreign invasive, and against all adviceI planted a trumpet vinebright, orangey fun, butin the blink of my eyeit overran the bordersstrangled my shrubstook over the place,I trimmed and prunedpruned and trimmedto no avail,so I laid the axe on…
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Towards A New Manifesto - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image: clipart-library.com “carrying their empty fists of sorrow everywhere” Francisco X. Alarcon Towards A New ManifestoHow strangethat we can think and feelyet still be so utterly dumb,completely unawareof the fibres of prejudicethat infiltrate and lurkin our very being.Not all Jews are zionistsnot all Muslims are terroristsnot all Christians are fundamentalistsmost refugees are only…
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Resonance - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Punam is hosting Open Link Night – the night we choose a poem to post. dVerse Poets – OLN Photo: A Tibetan singing bowl istockphoto.com “Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things” Naomi Shihab Nye ResonanceI have wondered what might, could, happenin the near distance of this journey,what mark would I make - could it last, outlast a lifefor the good,some cobbled…
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The Land Never Lies - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: publicdomainpictures.net “A dream lies dead here.” Dorothy Parker The Land Never LiesWhy do we always blamethe soil of a place,is that where we landwhen we talk about the lie, the big liehow the land lies,but do giraffes lieor grasshopperseucalypts maybe,does only the land lieand how,in statein perpetuity,as fallowshallowsure, all of thatbut land also speaks ofits innocence,…
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Mystery - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Mish is hosting poetics with an invitation to personify an abstraction. For more information follow the link below: dVerse Poets – Poetics – Personifying The Abstract Image by Matthew Anderson from Pixabay “And the mystery sang alive” William Wordsworth MysteryMystery is emanations/he is gentle presencea bolt of silk in a light breezeh/er eyes are dark poolsthough never…
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The Mother - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Note: I saw a photo today that records a young boy gathering pieces of his mother who was blown up in yet another Israeli bombing of Gaza. Photo: The Associated Press, 24.3.25 at aol.com More dead in Gaza as Israel breaks ceasefire. “We stare at each other’s faces, scared yet happy that so far, our lives have been spared.” Mosab Abu Toha The MotherCan he put her together again,put together her…
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What's Your Point? - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: Found on bing.com “Sometimes an idea is just an idea” Sina Queyras What's Your Point?Tightropeof woven wordssways high in a breezebetween intolerable points,behind me distorted images an ever moving past,before me a miragenothing more than arainbow of shifting sands,the musicin my headis no certain guide,just my invitation to forget the distanceand dance. Copyright 2025 ©️Paul Vincent…
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The Longest Minute - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image by Adina Voicu from Pixabay “I want your kiss to be bonded to my mouth, to my soul, to my body.” Pablo Neruda The Longest MinuteAt the tenth houron the sixteenth dayof the third monthin an auspicious yearit seemed rightfor autumnthat I fall for her,so at five past tenI took her by the handand kissed herjust oncewith aftermath -purest silence and the longest minuteas time…
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The Friend - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Lillian is hosting Open Link Night with live edition, the night we choose a poem to post and we are invited to the live gathering to read it too – for link and information follow the link below: dVerse Poets – OLN Image by Mircea Iancu from Pixabay “In human closeness there is a secret edge …” Anna Akhmatova The FriendA friend iswhat you arein his eyes,if noticed you werewaitingfor…
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Wither The Wars - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Sanaa is hosting poetics with an invitation to play Monopoly with a twist. It involves two options (1) Imagine the board as a literary landscape where each square is a poet, choose one of three images and one of two poets from the mix offered and write a poem inspired by the choices. (2) the board is a reflection of society’s darker undercurrents. For more detail and resource follow the…
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Something Deep - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: A white house – found at almostmakesperfect.com “My shadow said to me, what is the matter ….” Margaret Atwood Something DeepI live opposite the white housenot that housemy neighbour's house,glossy in the afternoon sunwindows reflectingpassing birds, carswalkersfront garden,like an aluminium framed Monet,white houselight housebeaming away, exceptmy feeling of resistance,my mood shifts the…
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Broken Mug - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: found at kitchenseer.com “… some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.” Rumi Broken MugOnce,as it happenslike every thing happens,I broke a favourite muga sentimental grief,in remorse I clearedthe debris and chose a lesser mugmade some tea,then came feelingsself-blamegrief,failing to locate a blamespeaking itreleasing the uglymood of it thenlaughing at the investmentin a…
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I Sing - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: found at fairfaxcounty.gov “I shall never draw back from love” Elsa Gidlow I SingI knowI'm coming backon overto lienext to your body,todayI singbecause I knowI'm coming back. Copyright 2025 ©️Paul Vincent CannonAll Rights Reserved ®️ Note: This poem is inspired by the line “because I don’t know if I’m coming back” from Song of Departure’ by Raquel Chavez – I took the opposite view.
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All Day I Think About What To Do With The Day - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image: from plus.maths.org one offering of the theory of everything. All Day I Think About What To Do With The Day*AnythingeverythingI want it all,but what will I do with the day-I so want the question to hangin some other time,leaving my body without guiltfreeing meto torpor,sure, I want the movies,a bus ride, coffee, puddle-jumping,to read all daya bottle of wineyou,but to choosewould be…
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Window Of Opportunity - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Dora is hosting Poetics with an invitation to write about the romance of the open window. dVerse Poets – Poetics – The Romance Of The Open Window Image by Jupi Lu from Pixabay “… like artists gave the holy before perspective was invented …” Bob Hicok Window Of OpportunityLook at thata sky of rorschach shapesfeminine or masculineI don't knowlet's see what happens,tears in…
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