Treasuring Poetry – Enjoying poetry with Dave Williams and a review of Gasp! Poetry! #TreasuringPoetry #bookreview #poetry

Picture caption: Treasuring Poetry 2025 banner featuring Tokyo at night with buildings reflected in the moat waters.

I am very excited to welcome talented artist, poet, and author, Dave Williams to “Treasuring Poetry”. Dave is discussing his thoughts on poetry and I’ve reviewed his unique poetry book Gasp! Poetry!

What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?

Freestyle. I like playful poetry, and poetry that causes me to think of stuff in different ways than my status quo. Also, I’m a big fan of short poetry about nature. Doesn’t have to be haiku. Poems that focus on one aspect of nature, be that a particular animal or plant or season. This kind of poetry is like a seed for me to meditate over that aspect of nature.

What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?

My favorite poem by another writer is “maggie and milly and molly and may” by E. E. Cummings. I love it because it’s lively and frisky and profound. And because it reminds me of growing up near the Atlantic Ocean. And because one of my daughters is named Molly (with a capital M, not lowercase like in the poem — although she’s welcome to be creative with the capitalization of her name if she likes).

The poem:

maggie and milly and molly and may

went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)

it’s always ourselves we find in the sea

Source: https://poets.org/poem/maggie-and-milly-and-molly-and-may

What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?

I enjoy writing freestyle the most. Limericks and haiku can be fun to write by following their rules. But I typically go with freestyle because I don’t have to worry about rhymes or syllables or meter.

What is your favourite of your own poems?

A tough question, Robbie! One poem of mine doesn’t jump out as a favorite. I looked through Gasp! Poetry! to find one to include here. I chuckled over several poems, but the poem that clicks with me right now isn’t aimed at humor. Rather, it feels hopeful:

Chickadee

Seeing an eagle,

the chickadee

aspired to greatness:

soaring high in the

Great Blue

Yet he could not

transform into that epic bird

In her son’s sullenness,

mama chickadee asked

the elders to offer wisdom

They told him

there’s a quiet dignity

in being a chickadee

and that

warmed his heart.

Your poetry collection Gasp! Poetry! has a most unusual name and blurb. Please tell us a bit about this book, what the poems are about, and what your intentions were will the collection.

The cover tries to warn people who have no interest in poetry. The title and cover illustration pretend what such a person’s reaction might be to a poetry book. They might throw up their hands and shriek, “Gasp! Poetry!” Then they’d run for the safety of a Non-Poetry Zone. Where, after catching their breath, they might tell other people how close they got to a poetry book and how terrifying it was. The cover uses drama for humor (hopefully).

Some poems in the book aim for silliness, while others are serious. The topics are assorted. One short poem is about a monkey taking a bath. One long poem is about how Scheherazade told a thousand tales to avoid being murdered. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, chances are good that you’ve read poems from this collection.

My intention was to package a bunch of poems on my blog, and ones that haven’t been published there yet. I hoped to entertain readers who like playfulness and absurdity in poems.

You write both novels and poetry. Which do you prefer?

Novels. Even when short, they’re more immersive than poems — which are like sketches to me (since I don’t write epic poems). I enjoy pondering possible plot paths of novels, as well as possible backgrounds of characters. It’s akin to reading a book and being immersed in the story. But with novel writing, the story can unfurl in various, potential directions. Joy is in exploring and shaping the story. So is frustration. But it’s worth the frustration when the book is finished.

My review of Gasp! Poetry! Picture caption: Cover of Gasp! Poetry! featuring a hand drawn circle man with his arms thrown upwards in anguish.

The amusing title of this poetry collection by Dave Williams is indicative of the nature of the poetry. All of the poems are clever, slightly dark, and poke fun at humans and humanity in general. In other words, these poems are brilliant and hugely entertaining.

Is a Poem about Grains of Sand on a Beach Too Pretentious?
“I wondered that question,
lying on a floral beach towel,
a speck in a crowd
of swimsuited people –
all of us were lumps of cookie dough
glazed with sunscreen and coconut oil
baking in this oven.”
The short extract above is a great example of Dave dark humour in relation to human behaviours and his engaging descriptions.

Valor is a great example of the poet’s quick and clever mind and attitudes towards adversity:
“”You’re not sharp enough?”
“Get some sides!”

Yells were hurled from
the crowd of octagons
at the little circle.
“You look ridiculous!”

The circle puffed up
with valor,
said “I am what I am,”
refused to conform,
then rolled defiantly towards home.”

This was my favourite poem in the book. I really enjoyed the personification of shapes and it reminded me of Flatland by Edward Abbott Abbott.

There is some wonderful life wisdom encased in these freestyle poems. A short extract from Ocean Inside which captivated my mind:
“Meanwhile I work against the urge to liquefy myself
and pour myself into the container
others have sculpted for me”

Having gone through my own teenage years and watched three sisters and two sons go through theirs, I am acutely aware of how very real this pack mentality is with young people. Sometimes, people never manage to escape its grip and find their own path in life.

If you enjoy dark humour, excellent poetry, and life truths, you will love this engaging and entertaining collection.

You can purchase Gasp! Poetry! from various suppliers here: https://books2read.com/u/mBJjRk

You can find all of Dave William’s great books on Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dave-Williams/author/B08662D961

About Dave Williams Picture caption: Author photograph of Dave Williams

Surely many people are named “Dave Williams” and this particular Dave is a redheaded one who enjoys writing speculative fiction, drawing, and reading. He lives in Maryland with his wonderful wife, two inspirational daughters, and two cats (a lazy one and a playful one).

You can find Dave Williams on his blog here: https://davewilliamswriter.wordpress.com/

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

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This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.

Get Your Copy Today!

Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR

Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature