COVID CHRYSALIS

April 6, 2021April 6, 2021 / Cody McCullough / 1 Comment

Before my wandering ways take me back to my Top 10 list of poems, I have resolved to share a new poem. I recently wrote this poem in the style of an unfinished poetry project that I started before I began writing my novel. I suppose my subconscious is wanting me to finish what I began. Indeed, the river of time does circle back around from time to time. Instead of letting it perpetually bob up and down in an eddy in my mind, I release it to you.

COVID CHRYSALIS

primordial skin surrounds
covid chrysalis

pulsating heart
squeezed within

old ways
dissolving slowly away

sprouting bubbles
new normal

time warps
bending together

night and day
day and night

new normal
shrouded reality

chrysalis cracks
exposing the metamorphosis

emerging wings
shrinking shell

shimmering sun
glistening new body

nascent beginning
a fading memory

fluttering flight
a leap away

by Cody McCullough

AWAKE

February 2, 2021 / Cody McCullough / 4 Comments

I suppose it’s time to awaken from my long slumber. In reality, it wasn’t much of a rest. I’ve been as busy as I’ve ever been. The more things change…. Anyway, today seems like a good time to begin again. There’s no time like the present as they say. With that thought in mind, I’m going to continue my very subjective countdown of my favorite poems (the ones that me, myself, and I have written). Next up is the fifth installment. That’ll be my next post. In the meantime, I suppose we have some catching up to do.

Well for starters, I haven’t gotten very far from home in a while. Then I suppose that isn’t much of a surprise to anyone. I also have a new collection of face coverings that make it easy for me to stick my tongue out at people without them ever knowing. 😜 Oh yeah, I changed the title of my upcoming novel to 2023: A Time Odyssey. In case you are wondering what the difference is between 2021 and 2023, here’s some simple math for you: 1+2=3. Actually, the difference is this: 3-1=2. I never was all that good at math, but I digress. The important thing is that my goal for 2021 is to publish 2023.

Other than that, I don’t really have any big plans to speak of this year. I imagine 2023, my poetry countdown, and an HBO Max subscription will keep me busy enough. It’s that or go back into hibernation like Punxsutawney Phil. No, I think I’m rested enough. Here we go….

MY TOP TEN POEMS: #6 “FLY AWAY”

March 19, 2020 / Cody McCullough / 11 Comments

I hate the coronavirus and the disease that it causes: COVID-19. My heart goes out to all of those who have contracted the virus and all of those whose lives it has affected. I understand why the government is asking us to stay at home and taking all the measures that it has taken. It’s tough, though, to see society shut down.

Under these strange circumstances, I’m continuing with my top ten list of poems. Next up is my number six poem: “FLY AWAY”. At its heart, this poem is about the desire to have the ability to fly. In many ways, this is a metaphor for escaping the limitations that life puts on us. Perhaps, something many of us know all too well these days.

Feel free to give the poem a read below, and let me know what you think. If you like it, there are more poems like it in my book of poetry: THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE. It’s currently for sale as a kindle ebook. You can purchase it for $5.99. Here is the link: purchase THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE.

FLY AWAY

I’ve always wanted to fly.
As long as I can remember,
I’ve done it in my dreams.

Often it would begin in the yard.
First, I would float up
then I would sit in a great big tree.

Soon, though, I had to see
just how high this power could take me;
so away I would fly.

Before I could touch the sky, though,
it always would happen.
I’d look down and see how far I had come.

Below, the world would look so small and far away.
Then my spirits would sink
and fear would creep in; I’d have to go back.

I’ve always wanted to fly.
As long as I can remember,
I’ve done it in my dreams.

astronomy clouds dusk hands

SIPPING WHISKEY NEAT

March 13, 2020March 12, 2020 / Cody McCullough / 4 Comments

Like Selena Gomez, I’ve been known to enjoy sipping whiskey neat. Unlike Selena Gomez, I don’t have a single at the top of the charts to celebrate while tickling my taste buds with a good glass of whiskey. My little book of poetry will most likely never garner anywhere near the same level of success. That being said, I think I’ll have a celebratory drink just the same.

It’s taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get this far, so there’s no need to be bashful about celebrating. Indeed, the time has come to raise a glass of my new favorite Irish whiskey, Writers’ Tears. As I sip, I’ll reminisce on what I have accomplished thus far, and, perhaps, shed a tear over all of the blood, sweat, and tears yet to come.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, though, I believe there was a top 10 list of poetry that I was in the midst of completing. Here are numbers 10-7: THE PAST, LIFE CONTINUES—UNCONQUERED, THE TALL FIRS ARE DANCING TODAY, and FROZEN HEART. In the coming weeks, I plan to complete the list with numbers six through one. After that, I imagine the time will be ripe for another sip.

Writers' Tears

FREE PREVIEW ENDS TONIGHT

March 9, 2020 / Cody McCullough / 6 Comments

The free preview for THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE ends at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time, tonight. That means there’s still a few more hours to get your free Kindle eBook version of the book. After tonight, it will be available for the regular price of $5.99.

Honestly, it won’t bother me if you wait until tomorrow to purchase the book and send a few bucks my way. That being said, I do want to give each of you one last opportunity to get a copy for free. You’ve all supported my blog for sometime now, and it’s the least I could do.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has already picked up a copy. I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to rate and review the book. To get your free copy, click on this link: THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE (FREE PREVIEW).

PPF COVER

FREE PREVIEW OF MY NEW POETRY BOOK

March 5, 2020March 4, 2020 / Cody McCullough / 13 Comments

It’s been a long time coming for THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE. Today, though, the wait has ended. Indeed, THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE is now available to read digitally as a Kindle eBook.

THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE retails for $5.99, but I wanted to offer my blog and Twitter followers an opportunity to preview it for free. I figured that would be a fitting thank you to all of you who have followed my work over the years. Truly, you are all my muses, and I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you. Thank you so much.

To read it for free, click on this link: THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE (FREE PREVIEW). The free preview lasts until midnight (Pacific Daylight Time) on Monday, March 9th. After that, the regular price of $5.99 will take effect.

For those of you so inclined, I would greatly appreciate it if you would review the book after reading it. To submit a review, you just need to scroll down on the Amazon web page for my book and click on the “Write a customer review” button. It’s about halfway down the page.

Again, I would like to say thank you to each of you. I have greatly appreciated interacting with all of you through the years. I hope you enjoy the finished version of THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE. If you like it, look for my follow-up book of poetry LOST IN TIME, which will be out later this year. Until next time, happy reading…

PPF COVER

PURCHASE NOW

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020 / Cody McCullough / Leave a comment

Welcome to CODYMCCULLOUGHWRITES.COM. Seven years ago, I started blogging under the title: THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE. Things have changed since then. Today is proof of that. One thing I have learned in life, though, is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I think someone wise said that a long time ago. Whoever it was, they couldn’t have been more correct.

Within the month, I will be publishing an updated version of THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE. While it maintains the integrity and authenticity of the original work, it also embraces change. As soon as it becomes available for purchase, I will post a link. In the meantime, feel free to view the information about it on my website.

My Top Ten Poems: #7 “Frozen Heart”

January 3, 2020January 2, 2020 / Cody McCullough / 7 Comments

From every ending there comes a new beginning. With the arrival of a new decade, change is on the horizon. What will the world be like ten years from now? That’s something that I don’t know. What I do know is that I plan to make the most of the upcoming year and decade.

Next month will mark the seven year anniversary of this blog. That being the case, I have something special planned. For now, though, I continue with my list of the top ten favorite poems that I have written.

In at number seven is “Frozen Heart”. When I wrote this poem, as usual, I had a specific idea that I wanted to convey. That idea was illustrating the cold nature of those who seek to control the world. To begin the poem, I settled on the idea of describing what it’s like to step outside on a cold, northern, winter morning. From there, I wanted the coldness to seep inward until it ultimately encases the speaker’s heart in ice. Once that occurred, the speaker then reveals that he or she seeks to “capitalize the world.”

In the end, I feel that I was able to convey my original message. When I wrote this poem it seemed to easily flow out of my mind. That’s not always the case, but it is always welcomed. I like when things come easily. That being said, I know that hard work is what’s needed to accomplish most things in life. As we march into the new year and decade, I plan to work hard but will always welcome those things that come easy. Until next time, here’s my number seven favorite poem:

Frozen Heart

Cold breath
expels outward
as I step out
on an icy morn.
Frosty air engulfs
my senses
sending shivers
up and down my spine.
The coldness seeps inward
encasing my heart in ice.
It pumps frozen blood
up and down my veins
and I coolly continue
to capitalize the world.

by Cody McCullough

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

November 3, 2019December 2, 2019 / 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

My Top Ten Poems: #10 “The Past”

October 3, 2019October 2, 2019 / Cody McCullough / 10 Comments

Sometimes I think of the past as though it were a reel of film. A series of individual moments captured and recorded before being spooled up and shelved. A flimsy record of the past collecting dust deep in the cavernous recesses of some ancient library archive.

Finding myself in this dingy and decrepit archive, I unspool the film and stretch it out with my hands. Holding up the film, I focus in on an individual frame. So that’s how it happened, I think as I realize the past to be different than the perceptions and beliefs I had formulated in my mind.

Yes, that’s exactly how I think of the past. The past was a real place of free will and choices. A place of unlimited potential that slowly faded as the unrelenting progression of the present pushed over it and onward toward a new day. Thoughts like these are what led to the entirety of this little project of mine. Soon it too will be pushed over by the progression of time. Not yet, though. Now is the time for me to take a little stroll down memory lane by revisiting some of my earlier work by discussing my top ten favorite poems.

In at number ten is the poem that started it all, “The Past”:

The Past

Only remnants remain,
Ruins and ghosts,
Trying to speak to us
Across a great chasm;
But we cannot hear
And must imagine,
Interpret, and reinvent.

“The Past” is the first poem that I published on this site. As such it certainly deserves a spot in my list of the top 10 poems that I have written. Looking back at it now, I can certainly see why I decided to kick off The Past, Present, and Future with it.

When I wrote it, I wanted “The Past” to be a piece that would both encapsulate the main idea behind my first collection and also be able to stand on its own. I opted for a short piece that illustrated the fleeting nature of the past. Indeed, the past is not a place that we can reach. That being the case, there is a quite a bit of imagination, interpretation, and reinvention in our understanding of it. That idea winds its way through my whole collection to a certain degree.

Well, that’s it for now. Next month I’ll discuss poem number nine. In the meantime, feel free to perhaps spend some time thinking about the past and what it means to you.

Cody McCullough Writes:

TURNING IDEAS INTO WORDS

Writing