POETRY has long been in the blood of Jean-Marie Noel-Cephise, but it wasn't until he came to Andover that the exuberant Mauritian was able to fulfil his potential.

Jean-Marie admits that some people seem to think he comes from another planet - but he puts that down to his expressive nature which awoke his inner poet at a young age.

"I wrote a lot of stuff when I was 18 and wish I had kept it. It was my way of expressing my true emotion," he said.

Jean-Marie is now celebrating another of his poems published in the anthology 'The Best Poems of 2003' by a poetry website featuring the best international poets.

Even more special for Jean-Marie is the fact that his poem 'Crossroads' is on the first page of the anthology.

"Crossroads came about because every day we are at a crossroads in our life and I wanted to show that our decisions are not always perfect. Sometimes we make selfish choices," he said.

Inspiration for Jean-Marie's poetry also comes from witnessing the suffering experienced by those caught up in natural and man-made disasters in the world today.

He wrote 'Victims of Time' after watching a news bulletin about an Iranian earthquake.

Feeling moved to put pen to paper, he wrote the poem to remonstrate that those who remain ignorant to international affairs are the real victims of time.

Ashfield Road resident Jean-Marie dreams about the possibility of leaving his warehouse job and becoming a full-time poet one day.

He is also keen on meditation and admits his unique approach to living in the town makes him an eternal optimist.

"On a grey rainy day you see people walking around looking unhappy.

"I still think it's beautiful and it's nice to know that I'm the only one thinking that," said Jean-Marie.

To view some of Jean-Marie's poems, visit www.poetry.com