POETRY

Living expressions of inner work. Offered as a glimpse of the process towards radical self-acceptance, healing, and growth.

Poetry, burn these pages, a finger pointing Zachary Phillips Poetry, burn these pages, a finger pointing Zachary Phillips

endless

endless waves
endless water
endlessly raging
against an ever changing shore

endlessly hoping
for a peaceful end
endlessly beginning
again and again

then suddenly a splash of cold reality
green and white with a hint of blue
out of my mind and into the sea
physically wet but happy to be

nature showing endlessly more
as endless waves
crash
against the endless shore

 

endless waves

endless water

endlessly raging

against an ever changing shore

endlessly hoping

for a peaceful end

endlessly beginning

again and again

then suddenly a splash of cold reality

green and white with a hint of blue

out of my mind and into the sea

physically wet but happy to be

nature showing endlessly more

as endless waves

crash

against the endless shore


This poem is inspired by the book How To Write Evocative Poetry

 
Read More
Poetry, burn these pages, a finger pointing Zachary Phillips Poetry, burn these pages, a finger pointing Zachary Phillips

burn these pages

brevity may be the soul of wit
but destruction is the soul of poetry

observe

in your hands you hold nature’s majesty
reduced
to mere sheets of dead wood
marked
by the transient thoughts of one blind to the moment

hoping to inspire a fraction of the awe that its life once gave

burn these pages
and feel the flames as they touch your soul
deeper
than any collection of words ever could

 

brevity may be the soul of wit
but destruction is the soul of poetry

observe

in your hands you hold nature’s majesty
reduced
to mere sheets of dead wood
marked
by the transient thoughts of one blind to the moment

hoping to inspire a fraction of the awe that its life once gave

burn these pages
and feel the flames as they touch your soul
deeper
than any collection of words ever could


This poem is inspired by the book How To Write Evocative Poetry

 
Read More
Poetry, burn these pages Zachary Phillips Poetry, burn these pages Zachary Phillips

The Cave

Once
When I was a young boy
You yelled at me

Objectively
It wasn’t much
But it was enough

That night
I built a cave
Inside my mind

One that overlooked
A lake
Whose water
Perfectly reflected
The beauty
Of the nature
That surrounded it

The cave was secret
And strong
And safe

The lake was still
And soft
And serene

I quickly learnt
To hide in that cave
And to gaze upon the water of the lake
Loosing myself
In the reflection
Of a false reality
Made real
By fear

You never yelled at me again
In fact
We never really spoke
At least
Not about anything that mattered

As you pulled away from me
I found solace
Sitting in the cave
Whose creation you inspired

I’d look at the lake
Wishing
You’d appear
Wishing you would
Say
‘Son, won’t you come swim with me?’

But you never came

Later
When I left home
You didn’t fight for me
You didn’t speak or even acknowledge
My absence

But you did leave a mark on my mind

That cave
Is now haunted
By the silent screams
Of the words
You left unsaid

And that lake
Still has ripples
From the rocks
We never thew
Together

The beauty of nature is obscured
By your indifference

And
I no longer
Have anywhere safe
To hide

 

Once
When I was a young boy
You yelled at me

Objectively
It wasn’t much
But it was enough

That night
I built a cave
Inside my mind

One that overlooked
A lake
Whose water
Perfectly reflected
The beauty
Of the nature
That surrounded it

The cave was secret
And strong
And safe

The lake was still
And soft
And serene

I quickly learnt
To hide in that cave
And to gaze upon the water of the lake
Loosing myself
In the reflection
Of a false reality
Made real
By fear

You never yelled at me again
In fact
We never really spoke
At least
Not about anything that mattered

As you pulled away from me
I found solace
Sitting in the cave
Whose creation you inspired

I’d look at the lake
Wishing
You’d appear
Wishing you would
Say
‘Son, won’t you come swim with me?’

But you never came

Later
When I left home
You didn’t fight for me
You didn’t speak or even acknowledge
My absence

But you did leave a mark on my mind

That cave
Is now haunted
By the silent screams
Of the words
You left unsaid

And that lake
Still has ripples
From the rocks
We never thew
Together

The beauty of nature is obscured
By your indifference

And
I no longer
Have anywhere safe
To hide


This poem is inspired by the book How To Write Evocative Poetry

 
Read More
Poetry, burn these pages, a finger pointing Zachary Phillips Poetry, burn these pages, a finger pointing Zachary Phillips

inner child’s plea

the body keeps the score
but the mind holds the key
if emotions are messages
why the fuck do you ignore me?

shine light on your shadow
and search your body for truth
why do you keep pretending
the blind can guide the youth?

the mirror is a liar
only one question left to ask
take a breath son
who doth lie behind the mask?

 

the body keeps the score
but the mind holds the key
if emotions are messages
why the fuck do you ignore me?

shine light on your shadow
and search your body for truth
why do you keep pretending
the blind can guide the youth?

the mirror is a liar
only one question left to ask
take a breath son
who doth lie behind the mask?


This poem is inspired by the book How To Write Evocative Poetry

 
Read More
Poetry, burn these pages, a finger pointing Zachary Phillips Poetry, burn these pages, a finger pointing Zachary Phillips

a thousand eyes reflected

i am a multitude
that speaks with one voice
broken apart
through lack of choice

the face i wear
closely mirrors yours
how else can i survive
when the world itself abhors?

used to think i was acting
but now i see the truth
another day wasted
on the folly of youth

a thousand eyes reflected
in a broken mirror’s gaze
quick swallow this pill son
this is all just a phase

there’s no-one left to question
the slow passing of time
nothing is permanent
‘cept my ink forming rhyme

 

i am a multitude
that speaks with one voice
broken apart
through lack of choice

the face i wear
closely mirrors yours
how else can i survive
when the world itself abhors?

used to think i was acting
but now i see the truth
another day wasted
on the folly of youth
a thousand eyes reflected

in a broken mirror’s gaze
quick swallow this pill son
this is all just a phase

there’s no-one left to question
the slow passing of time
nothing is permanent
‘cept my ink forming rhyme


This poem is inspired by the book How To Write Evocative Poetry

 
Read More
Poetry, burn these pages Zachary Phillips Poetry, burn these pages Zachary Phillips

my shadow bleeds ink

i’m frozen
reading the words
scratched upon my soul
long before
i knew
how to read

but now that i’m baked
i’ve got a new take
a new way to remake
and rewrite the wake

so many tears
for so few words

it is on me
to see
and send love
inwardly

my shadow bleeds ink
yet i hold the pen
with these words
i begin again
for my story will be long
with chapters anew
and these words
were so few

the body keeps the score
but the pen holds the key
the paper is the door
so love what you see

begin again

 

i’m frozen
reading the words
scratched upon my soul
long before
i knew
how to read

but now that i’m baked
i’ve got a new take
a new way to remake
and rewrite the wake

so many tears
for so few words

it is on me
to see
and send love
inwardly

my shadow bleeds ink
yet i hold the pen
with these words
i begin again
for my story will be long
with chapters anew
and these words
were so few

the body keeps the score
but the pen holds the key
the paper is the door
so love what you see

begin again


This poem is inspired by the book How To Write Evocative Poetry

 
Read More