“I am looking for something a little bit cheaper”
He said on his mobile phone
As he walked all alone
Among the dead.
I passed by
And thought of the Grim Reaper
Who has a place for all to stay
All men pay
Though not in the market way
I met a ghoul on a train
Who showed me his very big brain.
I said to him “ghoul!
You are truly a fool!”
He said “no! I’ve a big brain!”
I recall
Collecting conkers and acorns
From woodland lawns.
Some came over the wall
To lie
on the path.
I gathered them
As I passed.
I was a boy back then
And loved Autumn.
I love her still
And know I will
As all men
Become as those conkers and acorns
I gathered in childhood
From woodland lawns.
I have held them tight
Although I know
Come the end of night
They must go
And I will be left,
Bereft
Thinking on butterflies
Who pass
And lust,
Fragile as glass.
I have heard the hours
Tick by
And grown old
In arms I can not hold.
But Spring flowers
Provide a temporary
Relief from cold.
I have sought
The flower’s heart
And fought
With the same
pleasure and pain
Over and over again.
In the end only art remains
For blooms must fade
And the poet leaves behind
Merely a rhyme
On ink stained page
On Thursday 17 September, I hosted my monthly slot on the World Poetry Café, which is broadcast on Vancouver Coop Radio.
During my segment, we discussed why many people seem to lack interest in poetry. I also read a number of my poems, including several from my recently published collection Shadows and Birdsong, which is available in Kindle and paperback from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HDQ9QK3Z/
To listen to the podcast, please follow this link: https://www.mixcloud.com/VictorSchwartzman/world-poetry-cafe-sept-17-with-kevin-morris/ My segment begins approximately 20 minutes into the show and runs for about 25 minutes. I also read a couple of poems at the end of the podcast.
My thanks to the World Poetry Café and to co‑hosts Ariadne and Victor. As always, I very much enjoyed appearing on the show.
I tried to grasp
The wind
Who sang to me.
But I could only catch
A thought.
But it flew free.
My words caper on paper
While the wind sings
And laughs at me.
Most things decline.
This mind
Will not stay.
Few will read my rhyme
When I have gone away.
Yet I have this day
Of Autumn
Where the wind blows, momentarily,
And I am caught
In inner talk
All is temporary
Save for the breeze
Who sings
Eternally.
I was very touched to read this new review of Shadows and Birdsong on Goodreads. Andrew Frank — who describes himself as “not a great follower of poetry” — found the book while sitting alone in a pub, and connected deeply with several poems.
He writes about:
He ends with a gentle invitation: he’s still sitting in the bar with a copy, happy to discuss the poems further.
You can read his full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8934320938
To walk through acorns
On Autumn lawns
While barefoot
Would give me pleasure
In this gentle weather.
But they might shut me up
Where the air
Is replete with bleach
And fluorescent lights
Burn day and night.
I would long for birdsong
And lawns
Littered with acorns.
I should walk barefoot.
I would attract strange looks.
But there would be no hospital ward.
To confine me.
Just the reward
Of autumn grass
Under my feet.
I should go
Before old time defeats
All I am
And see
I’m grateful to East Croydon Cool for promoting my new poetry collection Shadows and Birdsong by featuring my poem “Caught Up in Thoughts of Work”. You can see their Instagram post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdGqxRyMNgs/?hl=en-gb
I was extremely pleased to receive another wonderful review of my recently released poetry collection, Shadows and Birdsong.
“… I personally liked Should I Shed a Tear and Umbrella, but Heart to Heart I loved them all …”
To read the review in full, please visit: https://echoesinanemptyroom.com/2026/09/08/shadows-and-birdsong-by-k-morris/
