He called Cornwall ‘the granite kingdom’ and always recognised and revelled in its unique qualities. Causley’s poetry is simple, some say naïve, and yet it is often a movingly direct expression of his life, his feelings, laid out on the page.įirst and foremost Causley was a poet of place.

He wrote poems about his parents’ marriage and the life of his grandfather Richard Bartlett, he wrote about his friends and his views on religion.

From his childhood remembrances to his dramatic experiences in the Second World War Causley shared it all. Credit: In his own wordsĬausley famously never wrote an autobiography, he said that the truth about his life was there already for everyone to see in his poetry. Yet through the prism of his poetry there emerges a vibrant world vividly observed and a life keenly felt. An only child, who never married, he spent many years nursing his elderly mother and left his Cornish home only rarely. A private man, he became a schoolteacher in the same school that he himself attended and he lived in a cottage just a few metres from the one in which he was born. But despite initial appearances his was anything but an inactive or uneventful life.Īt first glance Charles Causley’s life may seem quiet, ordinary, perhaps even hum drum. You are Words: Dementia poems by John Killick (Ed.Considered one of the most important British poets of his generation, Charles Causley was born, lived and died in the small Cornish town of Launceston. Watching for the Kingfisher: Poems and Prayers by Ann Lewin (2009, Canterbury Press) Stockwell Ltd) – see, for example, the section Viable Vaults Vaulting the Treadmill by Grace Westerduin (2014, Arthur H.

Readings from the Book of Exile by Padraig O'Tuama (2012, Canterbury Press) – see, for example, the poem What I needed to hear Hospice poetry selection from the 2013 conference workshop of the Association of Hospice & Palliative Care Chaplains – see, for example, the first poem from the workshop Hospice language

Grandad hands by Jo Dolby – a poem written in memory of a grandadĪnd you may find these books/resources by various poets and organisations have further offerings:īeyond the Drift: New & selected poems by David Scott (2014, Bloodaxe Books) – see, for example, the poems Retirement and Parish Visit The following list of poems highlights some that may be helpful in different situations:Ī song of living by Amelia Josephine Burr – a poem about loving lifeĮden Rock by Charles Causley – a poem written in memory of those we have lost Poetry may often console people when they are going through all sorts of issues, including illness, coping with disability or dark times.

Charles causley poems list