Galway poet Rita Ann Higgins describes his poetry "as sharp and playful", but as far as Joe Conlon is concerned, they are just poems. Joe's first book of poetry, Fields of Evening, was launched last week and has been well received in literary circles in the midlands.
The poet was first discovered by Ms Higgins, who is the Writer in Residence in Co Offaly, when she heard him recite.
She wrote the introduction to the new book, which has passages of Haiku to keep the unwary on their toes.
"In this admirable first collection we see a mischief-maker in action, his mischief is in word play and word dance." There are many similarities between Joe and the most famous of the Irish rural poets, Paddy Kavanagh.
Like Kavanagh, Joe, who lives at Rathvilla, near Edenderry, works the land and gets his inspiration from the land and the flora and fauna.
Like Kavanagh, his first poems were published in local newspapers and Joe has contributed many to the Offaly Topic and the Leinster Express.
"I get my inspiration from the things I see around me. Everyday things will get my attention and I will write a poem," he said.
Inspiration frequently comes to him as he works on his brother's dairy farm, while he is tending the animals or saving the harvest.
"I am very much into nature and wildlife and I find it very easy to write about that," he said.
One poem in particular best captures his observations on wildlife. It is called Sparrow Hawk:
Laser eyes in sea-blue skies Goodbyes On the wings.
You dance my dream,
Then that thrusted Plunge, a scream,
My dream on broken wings.
On the opposite page, there is an example of Edenderry Haiku where he writes:
I don't believe clothes would feel very comfortable on a nudist beach.
It bears thinking: the mind.
These little gems often come to Joe, he says, early in the mornings. He will rise from his bed as early as 5 a.m. to jot down his thoughts.
"I just enjoy doing it and I think other people enjoy it too," he said.
But the last word on his craft must go to Rita, who said that his writing jots the ordinary, again and again.
Fields of Evening is published by Topic Newspapers Ltd.