As the dream opens, I’m in Grand Central Station in New York City. (In dream-speak, call it a grand place at the center of things. Maybe even the heart itself.) The station is bustling with…
Phyllis Cole-DaiMarch 28, 2023
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-DaiFebruary 19, 2023
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-DaiFebruary 12, 2023
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-DaiFebruary 7, 2023
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-DaiJanuary 24, 2023
My habit in large waiting rooms is to walk. I’m always surprised by how far I can go while not going anywhere, just pacing or doing circuits, waiting my turn. I’m surprised, too, by how…
Phyllis Cole-DaiJanuary 15, 2023
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-DaiJanuary 8, 2023
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-DaiJanuary 2, 2023
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-DaiDecember 22, 2022
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-DaiDecember 12, 2022
It’s a cold morning here in South Dakota. We’re expecting snow this afternoon, just enough to cover the ground in white-Christmas fashion. Here in our living room, the Christmas tree is lit. The hearth has…
Phyllis Cole-DaiDecember 5, 2022
“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-DaiNovember 21, 2022
