Mary C.M. Phillips's Blog, page 6
January 24, 2020
Echoes Dying
I wrote this song with a little poetic inspiration from Alfred Lord Tennyson.
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Moon rich sky, I feel each
phase of time go by
long and high, I hear them echo by
Richer than the bluest blue
of velvet skies
I hear them echo by, echo by
Echoing dying, dying, forever dying
Echoes part in two from
heart to heart, two heartbeats
lost in time, echo by
Echoing dying, dying, forever dying
Taken by the hand with
no reply she sees
all her hopes and dreams
echo by
Echoing dying, dying, forever dying
forever and ever and ever…
(c) Mary C.M. Phillips
Produced by Mark Phillips
Inspired by Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Princess
Mary C.M. Phillips: vocals, keys
Mark Phillips: guitars, drums, bass, vocals
December 31, 2019
Ring Out, Wild Bells…
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ringlet my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year, full of inspiration, love, good books, and poetry, Mary
Ring Out, Wild Bells
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Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ringlet my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year, full of inspiration, love, good books, and poetry, Mary
November 25, 2019
Book Launch – Rhyme and PUNishment
With all the tension in today’s world, a little poetry and humor is a welcome remedy.[image error]
This past Thursday, poets gathered at the Onyx Theatre in Oakdale, New York for an uplifting evening of poetry and the launch of Rhyme and PUNishment (yes, you read that right), an anthology of comedic verse.
One of my poems appears in the book.
Below are some photos from the event.
Remember…
when the tough realities of the world are heavy,
humor can take away some of that weight.
Wishing you happiness — and lightness — for the holidays,
Mary
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October 18, 2019
September 2, 2019
Remembering J. R. R. Tolkien
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All that is gold does not glitter
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost
-J. R. R. Tolkien (Jan. 3, 1892 – Sept. 2 1973)
August 20, 2019
Bards Day 2019 #poetry
This past Saturday poets gathered at The Walt Whitman Birthplace in Huntington, New York for fellowship, poetry readings, and most importantly…Bards Annual 2019 book launch. [image error]
The spirit of Whitman was alive and well as poets shared pieces of their heart and soul through the “glory of expression.”
With much gratitude, one of my poems is included in this wonderful new anthology.
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Re-examine all that you have been told…dismiss that which insults your soul. – Walt Whitman
June 1, 2019
Walt Whitman Bicentennial Celebration
Today, I’m off to celebrate the work of the great poet, Walt Whitman, in his hometown of Huntington.
First stop, the Walt Whitman Bicentennial Convention (Radisson Hotel, Hauppauge) where there will be readings by poets from New York and Virginia, followed by workshops and publisher’s Q&A breakout sessions. Then it’s onto his birthplace and historical site in Huntington Station.
Enjoy the day, read a poem, and remember to get outside into nature and “reckon a thousand acres.”
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March 19, 2019
Love Come Down (a spoken word poem)
This is new for me.
I’m dusting off my KORG synth, opening my chapbook (and my mouth), and pressing RECORD. Simply click “LISTEN HERE” then press the play button (it’s free) to listen. Or download….if you so desire.
#SpokenWord #Poetry.
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We lay upon the grass under the stars;
above us the evening sky was dark and clear,
Behold! A shooting star!
Its bright golden tail
scribbled our names across the sky.
It was then that we were lifted up
into the rhapsody of a cobalt space
where stars uncoiled like illuminated threads,
encircling us
in the celestial love that God had set into motion
before the foundation of the universe.
The stars watched on, some flickering,
some exploding, sprinkling
resplendent flakes of light to the earth below as
sweet music played,
familiar in some way, ancient in another.
Within the midst of moonlight,
we spun under Nature’s sweet protection
with no walls; just the roof of a watchful sky.
And I sensed that were loved — in an infinite way.
Love come down…
Feel Him in the motion of a storm, in emotion, in each breath.
We step back into the world where time is not our own.
and expectations are like slick green moss under our feet –
that sometimes causes us to slip –
reminding us that we are never in complete control.
Within the worst of times,
when all seems bleak, and all words fail,
and greatness is cut down like a grand old oak,
God is still in the midst.
When we find ourselves alone on a deserted beach –
with only the raging sea before us – He is there.
He is with me.
My family and friends are with me.
Like the sun that spreads its rays across the surface of the earth
awakening all life and penetrating all that lies beneath
with the promise of eternity and the promise of love.
There.
There in the light of who I am
and the ashes of who I was,
I can still see us all together,
floating,
floating like weightless flurries in the air that sometimes —
from certain angles —
glisten like diamonds in the sun
as love comes down.
