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Best Poems Written by Martin Challender

Below are the all-time best Martin Challender poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Martin Challender Poem

What time is love?

Written & Posted, 3rd January 2025
For the International Contest, CHOOSE A 2025 POSTED POEM
Sponsor, Brian Strand, Judged 4th January 2025 (Second Place)
Poem of the day - 5th January 2025




I checked my watch and checked my phone,
but everyone’s in a different zone, 
Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, 
maybe I should be more specific, 
the dollar says in god we trust, 
but love thy neighbour bit the dust, 
I wasn't feeling all too great, 
after that late night altered state, 
shining my leather mourning shoes, 
watching weather and breakfast news,
a gunman shot the truth today,
the eagle had been blown away
so had the snow white turtle dove,
won’t somebody tell me, what time is love?

Details | Martin Challender Poem

SEPTEMBER FALLS

Sunlight dictates our days somehow
Evenings speak of duvets now
People begin to cough or sneeze
Trees start to dread each single breeze
E-type says there’s nowhere to park
Mornings complain about the dark
Blackberries doubt that they’ll get picked 
English sheepdog begs for a stick
Radio talks of candidates  
Fake news drowns out any debate
Autumn colours each working day
Leaves demand to be swept away
Last week’s paper knew it was true
September would remember you.

Details | Martin Challender Poem

All That Remains Of Yesterdays Wishes

Old flame memories, and game show repeats,
viewed through tobacco, it's smoke fills the room,
loneliness, only, stays glued to defeat,
blue-bottles, can't help, but choke on the gloom.

Dreams like the remote, corroded to rust,
unopened, unpaid, bills sit by the door,
surrendered and lost, to despair and dust,
no-one levelled up, around here for sure.

Each day's an ashtray, of stub filled regret,
while moth eaten drapes, block out the world's light,
another neat gin, will help to forget,
added indifference, towards day and night.

The blocked drains and sink, dirty old dishes,
all that remains of, yesterday's wishes.

Details | Martin Challender Poem

autumn

cars sound the alarm
autumn delivers it's storm
night time is shattered

window faces watch
our world of broken branches
wheelie-bins gone rogue

when tomorrow comes
boys will collect their conkers
grown men their shovels

Details | Martin Challender Poem

Walls and Fences

They're all talking walls and fences,
words meant to force us apart,
the world has lost all it's senses,
where did this craziness start?

I'm walking up here on the ridge,
already making a start,
building a shiny new bridge,
this flyover straight to your heart.

Details | Martin Challender Poem

Roadside Flowers

Roadside flowers, defy the rain
handwritten cards, spell out the name
of someone’s son, of someone’s friend
just where the road, begins to bend
at the spot where everything changed

Passers-by said it was a shame
nobody quite sure who to blame
but everyone could comprehend
roadside flowers.

A face looks through the window pane
oblivious to sun or rain
condolences so quick to send
that broken fence so soon to mend
her grief still wrapped in cellophane
roadside flowers.

Details | Martin Challender Poem

The Legend of Johnny Cash

Entry for the Golden Age of Music Poetry Contest, sponsored by Oliver McKeithan, March 2025, Second Place.


I dreamed of Johnny Cash last night,
his music spoke to me,
I said I thought that you were dead,
but music lives said he,
but music lives said he.

From Folsom, to Fort Bend,
for every soul behind bars,
he asked if we could say a prayer,
then picked up his guitar,
then picked up his guitar.

He sung to me of Ira Hayes,
words that rung in my ears,
the world of reservations,
with all those rivers of tears,
with all those rivers of tears.

We talked and talked of music,
country, hip hop and blues,
how Bo Diddley and Beyoncé,
can move our blue suede shoes,
can move our blue suede shoes.

I dreamed of Johnny Cash last night
surprised to see him back,
I said I thought that you were dead,
but he was still dressed in black,
but he was still dressed in black.

Details | Martin Challender Poem

A Poet For All Seasons

I am not the perfect poet,
you and I both know it,
though surely we could share,
our time with rhyme and reason,
springtime, snowdrop, couplets,
summer days of sunshine sonnets,
autumnal skies of falling paper leaves, 
winters filled with warming verse?

Perhaps I've been too scared,
to tempt, or fraternise with fate,
now having taken too long,
and having left it all so late,
to pen this page,
with words of alliterative verse,
against this world of woe,
where life's adversities seem to get worse,
I'm plucking up the courage now,
to ask if you and me,
could possibly agree,
provided it's not problematic,
provided this is not treason,
that I could somehow be,
your poet for all seasons?

Details | Martin Challender Poem

Nashville on my radio

It’s Thursday evening, almost nine
foot-tap, fiddle, and banjo time
with juke-box tales of love’s romance
the county jail, a second chance
for bourbon belles or backroad trucks
mail-box motels, living on luck
from one horse towns to city bars
acoustic sounds that drive guitars
harmonicas with prairie dust
Americana, steel mill rust
cornbread kitchen, joy, and sorrow
songs that long for bright tomorrows
it’s Nashville on my radio
Bob Harris and his Country Show!

Details | Martin Challender Poem

Two Returns For Manchester

Trinity Street, Bolton,
it was Jack and Jaya’s first date,
Jack had got there early,
worried he’d be late,
the ticket woman said,
to head for platform two,
“you’ll have to get a move on though,
your train is almost due”,
from Moses Gate to Manchester,
the world went flashing by,
factories and football fields,
beneath a clouded sky,
soon the train screeched to a halt,
with much anticipation,
our young couple disembarked,
and left Victoria Station,
Jack and Jaya walked and talked,
round Manchester for hours,
Jack laughed and said that “their town hall,
is not nice as ours!”,
in Piccadilly Gardens,
Jaya groaned at more of his jokes,
whilst they ate cheese pasties,
and shared a can of Coke,
travelling back Jack wondered,
about a kiss on the cheek,
but Jaya simply smiled and said,
“let’s try Wigan next week…”.