Parking attendant moonlights as Valentines Poet

You may not have realised it yet, but love is in the air. You know, the kind expressed with hearts, flowers, chocolates and, if you’re lucky … some choice words.

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
You may know him as the hard working and humble parking attendant at Benny’s Parking Lot on Regent Street, but sixty-four year old Calvert Pollard has been handing out more than ticket stubs to motorists.

Calvert Pollard, Reading Poem
“To my dearest darling: my love for you is oh so strong and yet I’ll be away so long. My heart is feeling such a pain, I doubt if I can here remain.”

For more than forty-years Pollard has been quietly writing poems, a talent that he has kept hidden until recently when he started designing his own line of greeting cards. And a special occasion like Valentine’s Day on February fourteenth brings out his best lines.

Calvert Pollard, Designer, Local Greeting Cards
“So I go outside and if it is quiet and it is just me and nature and looking around, I get—all hell breaks loose and my mind kicks into overdrive, I better have pen and pencil ready.”

Pollard says many people his age are retired at home, but he continues to work at least ten hours a day, six days a week. He not only enjoys the job, but Pollard gets to meet people and hear their stories that he says inspire him to write. Pollard hopes he will receive local support for his artistic efforts.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the local Valentine cards, please visit Calvert Pollard at his booth at Benny’s parking lot on Regent Street.