Local poet Robert Choulerton has just published his third collection of poems, which is available now on the Amazon and Waterstones websites. I was very pleased to receive a copy from Bob to review, having really enjoyed reading his first two volumes, entitled ‘Lines From …’ and ‘Notes From Lea Bailey’. I would define Bob’s writing as poetry, though Bob himself prefers to call them prosems, not quite prose and not quite poems. The reader can decide for themselves, but whatever their title, Bob’s written pieces, for me, work as poetry; they evoke delightful images, interesting ideas and emotions and unusual, imaginative and often funny, ways of seeing the everyday world, all written in eloquent and concise English. Like Bob’s first two volumes, Views From Lea Bailey covers a very diverse range of topics, from musings on the humble fly to concerns around Artificial Intelligence. He celebrates the natural behaviours and aptitudes of the animals and plants in nature, whilst lamenting the ‘matricide’ that the human species is inflicting on Mother Earth. Similarly, Bob celebrates the best qualities of humanity, but is quick to put down pomposity, vanity and undeserved status, all with the humility of a man who recognises his own imperfections. Several poems explore those significant events and experiences in human life: childhood, love, parenting, work, old age and death, whilst others observe and often celebrate the minutiae of everyday life, seen from surprising and unusual angles. In this volume, a few poems express the irritations many of us experience living in our modern world, such as the ubiquitous password requirements of online shopping. But for the most part Bob’s poems take an optimistic, warm hearted point of view and they indicate to me that he is a deep thinker who cares about the natural world, social fairness, morality, community and above all humanity. Some of the most enjoyable poems to read, as a resident of The Lea, are those that celebrate the people, places and activities that nurture our community: the local parish church, which Marion keeps ‘tidy and welcoming’, the village hall with its coffee mornings and Gill and Nigel at the helm. The Lea Village Stores is celebrated as a real focal point of the village, where customers are welcomed with genuine warmth by Mark and Michelle, who are ‘good nature personified’. The touching poem, “Doug”, celebrates the life of Bob’s late neighbour, who was a ‘force for good’ and whose death has left an empty space in people’s lives.There is a huge richness to this collection that I can’t do justice to here, but I would recommend Views From Lea Bailey to anyone who enjoys being taken on thought journeys to see the everyday world differently and to ponder interesting questions about human life and experience. Angela Kirton