I Am A Contradiction

 

I am a contradiction,
A social inadequacy.
Stifled rage.
Missed opportunities.
Goals unfulfilled.
Talent unrecognised,
Talent wasted.

I am a contradiction,
A falsifiable hypothesis.
All talk.
No action.
An echo chamber.
Hypocrisy recognised,
Hypocrisy shared.

I am a contradiction,
A functional mess.
Habit forming.
Constant apologies.
A shell of shame.
Surviving the past,
Surviving the day.

I am a contradiction,
A product of chance.
Lucky guesses taken.
Sage words heard.
A creature of my environment.
Adapting to conform,
Adapting to escape.

I am a contradiction,
A point of difference.
Memories informing.
Self-educating.
Future planning.
Breaking the cycle,
Breaking myself.

I am a contradiction,
A model of possibility.
Disciplined action.
Introverted contemplation.
A father.
Driven to change,
Driven to act.

I am a contradiction,
A self-appointed leader.
Lived experience.
Proven results.
Trending upwards.
Sharing my failures,
Sharing lessons learnt.

I am a contradiction,
A hypocrite with a voice.
Soul on display.
Hunting an ideal.
Coming up short.
Finding myself,
Finding my tribe.


This poem is from the book, ‘Bound To The Wings Of A Butterfly’.

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The Precipice

 

I asked myself ‘Who am I?’
This is what came to me.
Then every moment of my life
Flashed before my eyes.
I was both watching it
And was the watching of it.
As I recognised each moment, it fell away.
Burnt into the fire of consciousness.
It was beautiful, terrifying, surreal.

 
 

This poem is from the book, ‘Words On A Page’

Read more from the colleciton, download a free copy, or purchase as a Paperback, eBook, or Audiobook.

 

Searching For Meaning

 

Folly be to those who act blindly,
Who move before they look.

Confidently striving,
Never questioning.

Doing what feels right,
Because it feels right.

Binary decision making,
Disguised as rationality.

Running towards death,
Believing in their process.

Never asking the important questions,
What if I am wrong?

Who am I?
What is Rightness?

What is the point of this life?
Does such a thing even exist?

To search for meaning
We must challenge all assumptions.

Taking the time to think
Beyond mere pleasure and pain.

Training our minds to contemplate,
To detach and focus.

This is not easy.
Discipline is needed.

A sharp focus,
Gazing towards the eternal.

Embracing life’s pleasures,
But not at the cost of the search.

A knowledge that we must seek truth,
Because nirvana may be within reach.


 
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Zachary Phillips

Zachary Phillips is a poet, author, mental health advocate, and mindset coach. In these roles he has helped thousands of people move from a place of surviving to passionately thriving.

He is the author of 17 books, teaches on Skillshare, Insight Timer, and Udemy, hosts the Reality Check podcast, and is the creator of the Ask A Poet YouTube channel.

He is a qualified teacher, personal trainer, life long martial artist & coach, disability support worker, Reiki master, and is currently studying a Master of Counselling.