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Poetry

What Happens

This week I plopped down on the piano bench to muse with my fingers on the keyboard about what to write for today’s Staying Power. One song led to another, and eventually I came to “What Happens,”…
Phyllis Cole-Dai
February 19, 2023
Public Commentary

Wherever You Are

This week, in trying to grapple with the enormity of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, I turned to writing poetry. The staggering numbers of the dead, wounded, and homeless (many of whom were…
Phyllis Cole-Dai
February 12, 2023
Public Commentary

Meet Me in Paradox

Tyre Nichols was, in his own words, an “aspiring photographer.” His favorite subject was landscapes. He also loved shooting videos while skateboarding. As one of his friends said, he used his camera “to capture the…
Phyllis Cole-Dai
February 7, 2023
Work & Play

An Open Letter to Pat the Poet

Good morning, Pat!* Thank you for your email, seeking to hire me as an editor for your poems. By now, you’ve received my reply, where I explained that I don’t provide editorial services, only “creative companioning.”…
Phyllis Cole-Dai
January 24, 2023
Mindfulness

Knit Those Mittens

Geoff stands on our snow-covered side stoop, bundled against the single-digit cold. Grinning through his frosty white beard, he delivers me a gift on behalf of his wife, Sue: a big, warm pair of mittens,…
Phyllis Cole-Dai
January 8, 2023
Poetry

Someones

Happy New Year! Like so many holiday travelers (perhaps you?), our family had unexpected adventures, trying to visit my mother in North Carolina at Christmastime. Happily, we eventually made our way to her.
Phyllis Cole-Dai
January 2, 2023
Poetry

The Scar’s Appeal

A Rafter asked me to muse on the topic of shame and self-forgiveness. This poem is what emerged. Thank you, anonymous friend, for the prompt! THE SCAR'S APPEAL Phyllis Cole-Dai Look at me: I’m what…
Phyllis Cole-Dai
December 22, 2022
Poetry

What is Given

Way back in January, I introduced to you the practice of writing centos. Here’s a refresher: A cento is a literary work, usually a poem, created exclusively from lines or phrases lifted from the work(s) of…
Phyllis Cole-Dai
December 12, 2022
Insights

A Lesson from Rachel’s Table

“You feel a little tighter today than normal,” Rachel says, softly. Yeah, right, I think. As if I haven’t noticed. Rachel is my massage therapist. I typically book an appointment with her every month to help…
Phyllis Cole-Dai
November 21, 2022