Poets of Penzance's can of words

Customers at a Cornish supermarket were offered the chance to open a can of words as part of National Poetry Day.

Performance poets took over the tills at the the Co-op store in Penzance and offered shoppers free tins with poems by local poets in.

They also gave away edible poems scrolled on cakes and performed live poetry in the shop.

Organisers said they wanted to "surprise and delight" people and bring poetry "into the everyday".

When deep emotions come to the surface, like at weddings and funerals, people turn to poetry Sally Crabtree, performance poet

Performance poet Sally Crabtree said: "We got the cans done at a factory beforehand.

"Instead of baked beans they put poems in.

"People can be quite scared of poetry but this is a way to surprise and delight people.

"When deep emotions come to the surface, like at weddings and funerals, people turn to poetry.

"I'm just trying to bring it more into the everyday."

Customers at the shop were invited to feast on such lines of "edible" cake poetry as: "Drink these kisses in slow sips/And leave your sweetness on my lips" and "Be the night/and let your thoughts be stars."

The theme of this year's National Poetry Day is work, which is why the poets of Penzance say they decided to base themselves in a supermarket.