First Blossom
Upon the hill of Calvary
a tree, a cedar grows
Its roots were planted long ago
its sap, a crimson rose
Deep within the earth – a shaking
in highest halls of heaven’s – waking
as a tender shoot of love emerges
and mighty sower-spirit surges
through this messy muck of earth
praise, first blossom of rebirth
— Mary C. M. Phillips
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Good Friday poem, Good Friday poetry, mary cm phillips, poetry for Easter | 4 Comments »
Heartbreak is not exclusive to any one group. If we choose to love, we choose – at some point – to experience pain.
Dear You, Poems Through the Heart (Red Penguin) is a collection of poems about love and heartbreak from poets around the world.
I’m honored to have my poem, Dear Mistakes, included in this new anthology.
The book features the works of:
Shai Afsai, Leslie Arambula, Carol Alena Aronoff, Michael Artemis, B. A. Brittingham, Linda M. Crate, Candic Louisa Daquin, Jerri Hardesty, Janis Butler Holm, Debbie De Louise, Carella Keil, Kirstin Kochie, David Lange, Melody Lipford, Matt Martinek, Henry Vinicio Valerio Madrid, LaVern Spencer McCarthy, Lisa Diaz Meyer, Dion O’Reilly, Sally Quon, K.V. Raghupathi, Michelle Chermaine Ramos, N.E. Salmon, Anna Sanderson, Myra Wallin…as well as myself.
Wishing you all a Happy Poetry Month!
Here’s to love (and please subscribe to this blog if you’re so inclined)!
Mary ❤️
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #poetrycommunity, broken heart poetry, Dear You poems, international poetry, love poems, mary cm phillips, Poems Through the Heart, poetry | 2 Comments »
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 Deep Winter below. The written-word version appears in the upcoming Pennsylvania Bards Eastern PA Poetry Review (Local Gems Press).
Continue Reading »Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #spokenword, encouragement, holly poem, Inspirational, mark phillips mandolin, mary cm phillips, poetry, rock n soul gospel, seasons poetry, WCWP, Winter poem, writing | 6 Comments »
We’ve all made mistakes.
Some mistakes, unfortunately, are not easily forgotten.
As a way of dismissing my 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
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bards Annual, Dear Mistakes, Dear You poems, guitar produced by mark phillips, MaryCMPhillips, poetry, poetry anthologies, regret poem, rock n soul gospel, spoken word, spokenwordpoetry, WCWP | 8 Comments »
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.
*****
To listen to me reciting Spring Prevails – along with Mark Phillips on guitar – click the PLAY button below.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mark phillips guitar, mary cm phillips, nature, poetry, red penguin, spoken word poetry, Spring Prevails poem, ukraine poems, ukraine poetry anthology | 3 Comments »
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.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged marycmphillips, poems of hope, poetry, redpenguinbooks, ukraine poems, Ukraine poetry | Leave a Comment »
Today I received this beautiful coffee-table book full of poetry and photographs.
Paumanok Transitions, edited by Kathaleen Donnelly, is tribute to the unique and sublime nature of Long Island. Poems by Long Island native, Walt Whitman, also weave in and out of the pages.
The poem I wrote for the book, The Three Sisters, is a fable-like poem that explores the relationship between the three prominent vegetables grown by the Algonquin who dwelled in the county of Suffolk.
I’m excited to be part of such an artful project — alongside several Long Island Poet Laureates and award-winning photographers.
Oh, the wonder of poetry and art!
O the amazement of things-even the least particle! — Walt Whitman
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In late 2020, after COVID had altered our lives — as it did for so many others — we decided to move from our home in Long Island to the bucolic hills of Pennsylvania.
TRANSPLANT is a spoken-word poem written just after we moved.
The poem asks a question. Does Nature herself hold memories as we do?
Hope you enjoy it.
Guitar work and production by Mark Phillips.
Transplant can be streamed on Spotify or downloaded from iTunes. The poem also appears, in written form, in the new anthology, The Pennsylvania Bards Eastern PA Poetry Review (available on amazon).
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mark phillips guitar, mary cm phillips, pennsylvania, poetry, poetry community, spoken word | 8 Comments »
If you’re from Long Island or appreciate the nature of Long Island, you may very well enjoy Paumanok – Transition. A beautiful poetry — and photographic — anthology.
I’m happy to be a contributor alongside such poetic talent.
Paumanok~Transitions is a tour de force – an impressive performance by poets, photographers and the editor and co-editors! This year-long anthology of poems and photographs begins each month with Whitman’s words which transition the reader from the past to the present. The illuminating poems in this anthology lead the reader backward and forward at the same time – an oxymoron, a feat only possible with words. The poetic words in these pages document transitions of the personal, spiritual, social, sexual, emotional and political, akin to Whitman’s own journey – when he went forth as a child from his Birthplace into the world as a builder’s apprentice, journalist, essayist, newspaper founder, Civil War nurse, novelist, poet and Comerado. His fellow travelers in this volume vividly relate their transitions with spontaneous awareness or aching recall – involving a movement or shift that is transformative for both poet and reader. — Cynthia Shor, Executive Director, Walt Whitman Birthplace Association
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged poetry, Walt Whitman, writing | 6 Comments »
Excited to be part of this virtual poetry event celebrating the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay along with the Long Island Harp Society,
Join us if you’re able (via link below) and have happy, healthy, and poetic day,
Mary 🌿
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged edna st. vincent millay, harp, harp Weaver, harpists, inspiration, mary cm phillips, poetry | Leave a Comment »
Music of the Forest is available for downloading and streaming.
Below is the link.
Wishing you all a week filled with poetic inspiration, Mary 🌿
https://music.apple.com/us/album/music-of-the-forest-spoken-word-poetry/1548859418
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged new music, poetry, spoken word | Leave a Comment »
Mary C. M. Phillips 