Life of a Poet - Robert Cameron Hazelton

I have an Oldie-Goldie for you today, kids. Not old in years, but long in membership! Bob  Hazelton has been a loyal and faithful participant at Poets United from its very beginnings. He calls himself, and his blog,  an Average Poet, but we beg to differ. For this visit, we are flying cross-country to New York state. As we pull up out front, at Bob's, I hear guitar music, and there's Bob, in his back yard, playing some of his own tunes.

         

Poets United: Bob, so nice to sit down with you, finally! You must be the soul of patience, waiting so long for an interview! Your last interview, by Robb Lloyd, was in 2010!!!! Will you bring us up to date – where you live, who you share your life with?

Poem of the Week - Roses in the Park 14/Dec/2010

Selected by Eileen T O'Neill

This Poem can be found at:

Robert Cameron Hazelton @ Average Poet

Dedicated to John Lennon on the 25th anniversary of his untimely death.

Roses in the Park


We gathered speechless in the growing dark
remembering the brilliance of his light
and left our rosy sorrow in the park.

As one of four he made a lasting mark
which cruelly found his heart that fateful night;
we listened speechless in the growing dark

and prayed the news report was just a lark,
for who would ever… but no, it was right;
we lost our rosy visions. In that park

so named for berried plains, the truth is stark
that being human should bring great delight,
not speechless mourning in the growing dark;

commemorate the magic of his spark
and offer love to all within your sight.
The scent of rosy tributes in the park

imbue the air with their resigned remark,
imagine his disdain for this sad rite.
We gather speechless in the growing dark,
and leave our rosy visions in the park.

~ Robert Cameron Hazelton

We are also happy to inform our members here at Poets United that RCH had entered this poem into the Liverpool Poetry Competition where in his category he placed second with this wonderful tribute poem. If you would like to read more about this you can by going to The Beatles Story.  Congratulations Robert on a wonderful achievement

(This poem was selected by Eileen T O'Neill.  She is currently one of our contributors and poets found here at Poets United.  If you would like to learn more about Eileen or read some of her own poetry you can  visit her blog "Words and Thoughts".  Eileen is a poet and writer who has been a wonderful supporter of Poets United since its start.  We would like to thank her for all of her hard work.)

The Life of a Poet - Robert Cameron Hazelton

The next poet we would like to introduce to you in our “The Life of a Poet” series is Robert Cameron Hazelton better known as “Bob”. He is the scribe behind the poetry blog “Average Poet”. Bob currently lives in the farm country of upstate New York where he was born and bred. He is a man who tries to understand the world from his own point of view. “I have always striven to be as original as I can in this cliché driven world” says bob. When asking him as to why he chose the name “Average Poet” for his poetry blog his response came threefold. “I am the average poet, I love to think and write. I feel until I have a book or some other type of poetical accomplishment I am average in every sense of the word. I believe in staying humble. Any time in my life that I have been boastful has led to either great disappointment or great embarrassment.” This seems to be more than an average man to me but who am I to say.

Poem of the Week (22 June 2010) - Mr. Sociable

This poem can be found at:

"Average Poet"

Mr. Sociable

He is graceful and charming
completely disarming
essential to any social affair

obligingly devout
mingling about
dispensing kind words here and there.

Hands reach to touch him
elbows to nudge him
eyes seek a glimpse of his smile

he’s a man with flair,
obvious savoir-faire
a portrait of tactful style.

But sometimes I wonder
if deep down under
he tires of this endless game?

I think his façade
is becoming slipshod
I don’t think he’s living up to his name

for I detected a hint
of a reticent glint
in his otherwise jovial eyes

perhaps his desire
is to simply retire
and watch all the fuss pass him by.


By Robert Cameron Hazelton