Lost in Time

My Top Ten Poems: #9 “Life Continues—Unconquered”

/ Cody McCullough / 6 Comments

Life Continues—Unconquered

Dream fades,
Eyelids retract,
Sun illuminates,
Body moans,
Spirit awakens,
Pulse quickens,
Consciousness streams,
Reality unfurls,
Day begins,
Legs traverse,
Life continues—
Unconquered.

     For a long time, I’ve been a night person. A real “moondog” as it were. One who revels the time when the responsibilities of the day have been put to rest and there is finally time to enjoy one’s self and forget about everything that must be done. Lately, however, I’ve been looking at things from a different perspective.

     More and more, I’ve found myself enjoying the comforts of the morning. As Hemingway once famously wrote The Sun Also Rises. As I sit here writing this now, the sun’s warm rays are stretching out from across millions of miles and caressing my wanting skin. Whilst the scent of fresh brewed coffee wafts up into my nostrils. Yes, it is a good morning and a new day. A new beginning if you will.

     My poem “Life Continues—Unconquered” is about just that. It’s about waking to a new day and embracing it. Embracing everything that the morning has to offer and leaving the world of dreams behind even if your body moans a little.

     It’s also about overcoming adversity. We all wake up in an imperfect world, but we continue with our lives anyway. Not everyday is easy. In fact, many aren’t. Life, though, isn’t about giving up. It’s about putting one foot in front of the other and traversing each day as it comes to you.

     Indeed, the unconquered life is one in which you never stop moving forward. As the sun continues to rise in the east and set in the west, we continue to march on with our lives. From the long ago days of the ancients all the way into the unknown future: life continues—unconquered.

silhouette of a man during sunset

now i know

/ Cody McCullough / 19 Comments

i used to believe
in luck
i used to believe
in superstition
now i know
there’s only metaphor

i used to believe
in politics
i used to believe
in government
now i know
there’s only metaphor

i used to believe
in god
i used to believe
in religion
now i know
there’s only metaphor

i used to believe
in war
i used to believe
in patriotism
now i know
there’s only metaphor

i used to believe
in us
i used to believe
in humanity
now i  know
there’s only me

i used to believe
in the past
i used be believe
in the future
now i know
there’s only the present

abstract alphabet arrangement away

20 Down 3 To Go

/ Cody McCullough / 7 Comments

        From every ending comes a new beginning. Such is the duality of life and the nature of the Universe. With 20 Lost in Time poems now published here, The Past, Present, and Future is nearly complete. Only three more poems of the Lost in Time collection remain.

        Of the three, however, two have been plucked for inclusion in my novel (that long overdue avocation of mine that is nearly complete). As such those two poems will remain lost in time for now… That just leaves one more poem to publish here, which I plan to do next month on the six year anniversary of this blog.

        After that, a time of transition will be at hand. Instead of publishing my poems, it will be time to unveil information about my novel, my adventures in the pursuit of publication, along with snippets about my writing process and influences.

        If you’re wondering what the novel is about, don’t worry I’ll reveal that part in time. In the meantime, enjoy the new year.

light painting at night

The Search

/ Cody McCullough / 3 Comments

the path is protracted
bleak and blurry
the peril is palpable
spurious and substantive
enemies are everywhere
and nowhere
the words, my words
stuck in my satchel
crusty ink pages
wasting and withering
waiting for life
biding for breath
the search continues
down that protracted path
by and by
on and on
never ever
will i surrender

selective focus photography of tree leaves

The Game

/ Cody McCullough / 18 Comments

Money, money, money,
that’s the game.

Toil, toil, toil,
that’s the duty.

Escape, escape, escape,
that’s the antidote.

Revolt, revolt, revolt,
that’s the answer.

War, war, war,
that’s the response.

Death, death, death,
that’s the outcome.

Peace, peace, peace,
that’s the alternative.

Love, love, love,
that’s the cure.

flower against black background

The Painful Walk

/ Cody McCullough / 15 Comments

I endure
the painful walk.
By broken homes
and empty houses
through deferred dreams
and broken promises
I endure
the painful walk.
By forgotten graves
and smug faces
through credit cards
and grinning bankers
I endure
the painful walk.
By sweat shops
and corrupt corporations
through my allegiances
and misconceptions
I endure
the painful walk.
By our abusers
and their financers
through the streets
and the crowds
we endure
the painful walk.

action adult asphalt blur

 

Drift Away

/ Cody McCullough / 7 Comments

dull droning voices
regurgitate drained doctrines

devoured by droves
of undiscerning disciples

but i cannot see
and i cannot hear

dissecting the dogma
my decision dawns

i must drift away
down current

where i am free
to dissipate

The Muses

/ Cody McCullough / 8 Comments

pexels-photo-613431.jpeg

 

Like melodious music

The wistful words

Of ghostly muses

Whisper wisdom to me

Inspiring my imagination

Directing me onward

I am not alone

You are not alone

We are not alone

The world is alive

The muses are alive

We all are alive

We need only to listen

Without judgment

Or senseless division

To hear the music

And the message

Of all our muses