I’m excited to announce that two of my poems have been selected to be part of the Lancaster POETRY-IN-TRANSIT campaign. The poems will be displayed in Lancaster buses throughout 2024. I’m equally thrilled to know that commuters will get a chance to (hopefully) read my work. Thank you to Word Hive, Philadelphia Alumni Writers House at Franklin & Marshall College, and Vector Media. Poetry is alive and well in Lancaster!
You can read Sent and Foreshore Identity below – as they will appear in transit.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Peaceful Holiday Season,
Jogging in the rain seemed like the best thing to do…
Native Heartbeat was written in an environment of puddles and concrete. I’m happy that it found a dry, safe home in the pages of Bards Annual 2023.
You can read the poem below or hear me recite the spoken-word version by pressing the PLAY button.
Thank you to publisher, James P. Wagner. Thank you also to Grandfather Rock of WCWP radio for playing Native Heartbeat on Rock-n-Soul Gospel(Fridays 9 PM – 11 PM). Special thanks to Mark Phillips for his befitting composition and lovely guitar work.
All poems (c) Mary CM Phillips are available on iTunes and most streaming platforms.
The moon had grown fat hanging heavy with the stars as a cool yet foreboding breeze unsettled the little maple faeries from their wistful slumber.
“We have made our home upon this blessed branch,” said one faery to the rest, “but the voice of autumn calls us on.”
“She speaks in truth,” replied the boldest of the faeries, adorned in deep crimson, with a sorrowful heart. “From bud to leaf I have known you all, and a great companionship we have shared. But this new season beckons now. It is time to gather our tears and be brave.”
The little faeries quivered as the light of day slowly appeared and a deep sorrow cast itself upon the branches of their home. A sorrow so heavy that the smallest of faeries — dressed in yellow, but just as fair — felt the need to finally speak.
Her voice was gentle and one of hope as she spoke these words prayerfully and serenely: “Thank you all for your friendship, as I am grateful for every sister-leaf and feathered friend of this life. I will not mourn today, however, and choose to rejoice and be glad in this day. For I shall not see any of you wither, but only fly.”
And as the day came to a close,
colorful falling leaves glistened in the sunlight
and a song sailed upon the autumn wind whispering,
“Farewell dear sisters, farewell.”
* * *
Fall of the Maple Faeriesappears inSymphony of Seasons – a lovely illustrated anthology from Wingless Dreamer Press.
If you’re on Long Island Monday, July 17th (7:00 pm), please join us for an evening of poetry under the stars. It’s part of the Summer Gazebo Reading Series (hosted by Oceanside Library and the Kiwanis).
The location: Oceanside, Long Island (Schoolhouse Green, Foxhurst Road).
I’ll be one of the featured poets along with Richard Vetere, Robert Savino, and Lisa James (see below).
Hope to see some of you there! Oh, and bring a lawn chair! xo m
P.S. If you’re not on Long Island, there’s a Zoom link below.
Mary C. M. Phillips
Mary C. M. Phillips is a caffeinated wife, mother, writer and musician. Her inspirational essayshave been published in numerous bestselling anthologies. Her spoken word poetry has been featured at the Walt Whitman Birthplace, Rock-n-Soul Gospel on WCWP radio, and Bards Revolution on BlogTalk radio while her written word appears in a variety of poetry anthologies. As a musician she has toured nationally with various recording artists such as Matthew Sweet, Marti Jones, and Don Dixon as well as comedian, Rob Bartlett, and satirist, Barry Mitchell on ABC’s World News Now.Her latest work, Music of the Forest (Rock-it Science Records) is available on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming platforms.Writing inspirational essays and poetry is a way of seeking — and conveying — the invisible. Italso helps us to see beauty in others. Good words — like choice musical notes — quiet therestless soul.To learn more visit www.CaffeineEpiphanies.com.
Richard Vetere
Richard Vetere’s adaptation of his published stage play The Marriage Fool starring Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, the highest rated CBS TV movie ever, is now currently streaming on Amazon. His screenplay adaptation of his own stage play Caravaggio, won the Golden Palm for best screenplay at the Beverly Hills International Film Festival in 2021. He has over twenty published and produced plays. Published by Dramatic Publishing, Applause Books and Smith & Kraus including Machiavelli, Gangster Apparel; Caravaggio; One Shot, One Kill and the recently published Zaglada. His work has been produced at Primary Stages (NYC),The Old Red Lion (London), Silk Road Crossing (Chicago), Archlight Off-Broadway NYC. His published novels include The Third Miracle (Simon & Schuster) and he co-wrote the screenplay adaptation starring Ed Harris, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, directed by Agniezka Holland. His teleplay adaptation of his stage play Hale The Hero! starring Elisabeth Shue earned rave reviews on the GeneralMotors Playwrights Theater on A&E. His other published novels include Champagne and Cocaine and The Writers Afterlife both from Three Rooms Press and the award winning The White Envelope and I, Human both from the Amazin’ Whodunit Press. His Live Fast, Die Young, & Leave a Goodlookin’ Corpse: a memoir of the 1970s, was published in 2021. He wrote the cult class film Vigilante named by BAM as one of the Best Indies of the 80s.Richard has taught playwright and film writing in the master’s program at NYU has three published books of poetry and holds a master’s degree from Columbia University in Comparative English Literature. He is a member of Poets & Writers; Authors Guild, Dramatist Guild and a Lifetime and Current Member of the WGA East.His website is RichardVetereauthor.com See Richard’s full bio here.
Robert Savino
Robert Savino (born Jamaica, NY) is a native Long Island poet, Suffolk County Poet Laureate2015-2017, Board Member at the Walt Whitman Birthplace and at the Long Island Poetry &Literature Repository Center. He is the winner of the 2008 Oberon Poetry Prize, Association of Italian American Educators – Cristoforo Colombo Award for Literary Leadership (2019), and Town of Islip Italian American Heritage Award for Visual & Performing Arts – in Literature (2019). Robert was first inspired by Blake and Whitman in the sixties. His poetry has been widelypublished in journals, anthologies and online, including The Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, Long Island Quarterly, Mobius, Negative Capability, The North American Review andSport Literate; and written for art and music.Robert’s poem, “October’s Opal,” was composed by Yung Shen Hsaio as a four-instrument musical ensemble piece and presented at the 2017 International Rostrum of Composers and Conservatorio Vincenzo Bellini, Palermo, Italy.Robert is co-editor of two bilingual collections of Italian Americans Poets, No Distance BetweenUs. His books include fireballs of an illuminated scarecrow, Inside a Turtle Shell and I’m Not the Only One Here. Robert lives in West Islip, NY, with his wife, Sabrina and enjoys the role of poetry mentor.
Lisa James
Lisa James has been published in several publications including the PPA Literary Review, North Sea Anthology, Whispers & Shouts, Long Island Quarterly, Oberon, For Loving Precious Beast and Breakwater Review. She is the author of Nature, Sometimes Human (JAL Publications) and The Ties That Bind (Words With Wings Press). She has been recognized in several poetry contests and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
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Thankfully, the bite of winter has only appeared briefly here in Pennsylvania. In fact, it feels like spring has already arrived.
This poem, Deep Winter, explores not only the literal winter but the spiritual one; the winter we might experience on any given day.
You can hear the spoken-word version of DeepWinter below. The written-word version appears in the upcoming PennsylvaniaBardsEastern PAPoetryReview (Local Gems Press).
Some mistakes, unfortunately, are not easily forgotten.
As a way of dismissingmy own dear mistakes, I’ve composed this poem. It appears in two new poetry anthologies: Bards Annual 2022(Bards Initiative) and the upcoming Dear You, Poems Through the Heart (Red Penguin).
You can hear the spoken-word version of Dear Mistakes here:
As always thanks to Mark Phillips for adding some rather unique music. Special thanks to Chris MacIntosh a/ka/ Grandfather Rock of Rock ‘n’ Soul Gospel, WCWP radio (Fridays 9PM-11PM and Sundays 6PM-10PM) for playing new poetry.
Have a great day, remember to be kind to yourself, and please subscribe to this blog…if you’re so inclined. 💜 Mary
Where Flowers Bloom is a collection of poetry supporting the people of Ukraine. I’m happy to have my poem, Spring Prevails, included in this beautiful book.
This collection features the work of Angelo B. Ancheta, Lynne Bernfield, Vanessa Caraveo, Deborah Coy, Linda M. Crate, David Dephy, Steve deWolfe, Carol Edwards, Joseph A Farina, Clare Green, Alex Grehy, Maureen Hadzick, Sharon A. Harmon, Mark Andrew Heathcote, Kadambari Kaul, David Lange, Wayne Lee, Mary McKeel, Karen Melander-Magoon, Jill Ocone, Dorothy Oger, Mary C. M. Phillips, Sally Quon, Janet Ruth, Kathryn Sadakierski, Jasmine Tritten, J R Turek and Scott Wiggerman.
The publisher, Red Penguin Books, will be donating the proceeds received from the sale of this book to the humanitarian crisis facing Ukraine and will match all book sale proceeds as well in support of this cause.
So happy to be part of this poetry project. All the proceeds received from the sale of this book will be donated to the humanitarian crisis facing Ukraine. The publisher will match all book sale proceeds as well in support of this cause.
Mary C. M. Phillips 