Tag: Poems of Life

• Poem

  

  Looking back, I grew up on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in the city of Marquette, a location to which I attach many fond memories…

  Of shallow pools, lucky stars and footprints
  Traveling on a wave back through time
  High top sneakers, t-shirts and torn blue jeans
  Drifting sand dunes with daylight to climb

  Memories of mountains in winter white
  Wooden skis, leather boots bound with string
  Shredding moguls down Snowfield at Cliffs Ridge
  Every season brought reason to sing

  Transcendence found me in another state
  As so often, the life of a child
  New friends and a wish to return, someday
  Reminiscing… I laughed and I smiled

  © 2026 Phil Perkins

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  Old Days, by Chicago (1975) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  February 21, 2026

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  Chicago, childhood, Cliffs Ridge, creative writing, happiness, Lake Superior, Marquette, memories, Michigan, Music, nostalgia, nostalgic, Old Days, poem, Poems of Life, poetry, recreation, recreations, reflections, ski, sports, Upper Peninsula, Vintage, winter sports, writing

• Poem for a Friend

  

  I wrote this poem for a close friend, the beautiful and talented Penny Granger…

  There’s a star in your soul
  Glorious, shining bright
  Pondering the cosmos
  From the roof, words to write

  © 2025 Phil Perkins

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  [I’ve Been] Searchin’ So Long, by Chicago (1974) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  October 4, 2025

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  (I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long, Chicago, cosmos, creative writing, ever seeking, life, love, Music, Penny Granger, poem, Poems of Life, poet, poetry, pondering, romance, rooftop, searching, stars, words, writing

• Poem

  

  Of shallow pools, lucky stars and footprints
  Traveling on a wave back through time
  High top sneakers, t-shirts and torn blue jeans
  Drifting sand dunes with daylight to climb

  Memories of mountains in winter white
  Wooden skis, leather boots bound with string
  Shredding moguls down Snowfield at Cliffs Ridge
  Every season brought reason to sing

  Steps through town took me to another state
  As so often, the life of a child
  New friends and a wish to return, someday
  Reminiscing, I laughed and I smiled

  © 2025 Phil Perkins

  ---

  PHOTO CREDIT: modified photo from unsplash.com.

  Cats in the Cradle, by Harry Chapin (1974) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  September 25, 2025

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  adolescence, Cats In The Cradle, childhood, Cliffs Ridge, creative writing, Dreams, Harry Chapin, Lake Superior, Marquette Mountain, memories, Michigan, Music, nostalgia, poem, Poems of Life, poetry, reminiscing, reunion, rhyme, unsplash.com, Upper Peninsula, verse, wishing, writing

• Haiku

  

  Hummingbird ponders
  Silhouette of reflection
  Twilight signals time

  © 2025 Phil Perkins

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  If you’d like a print or other items featuring my photography of this hummingbird silhouette, please visit my galleries at Phil Perkins Photography and/or Saatchi Art.

  

  Thanks very much!

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  Zoom, by The Commodores (1977) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  June 18, 2025

  Music, Photography, Poetry & Writing

  action, animal, bird, Commodores, day, Fine Art America, flight, home decor, Hummingbird, journey, life, Music, Photography, planning, poem, Poems of Life, poet, ponder, preparedness, prints, Saatchi Art, signal, silhouette, time, tomorrow

• Poem in Response

  

  Having read “HeartSong“, written by a dear friend and talented Poetess, Penny Granger – in which she conveys nostalgic, youthful recollections of appreciation for a tree in which she sought shelter – I was inspired to write this poem in response…

  May moisture of mist continue to drip
  From the tree of days gone by
  That each tomorrow spill forth happiness
  Brighter days, to satisfy

  © 2025 Phil Perkins

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  PHOTO CREDIT: modified photo from unsplash.com.

  Into the Mystic, by Van Morrison (1970) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  June 8, 2025

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  childhood, courage, creative writing, folk music, friendship, inspiration, Into The Mystic, life, love, memories, Music, Nature, nostalgia, Nostalgic Poems, Penny Granger, Poems of Life, poet, poetry, security, soul, tree, unsplash.com, Van Morrison, writing

• Poem

  

  One day building dreams
  Two lovers did meet
  Three roses were born
  Four corners complete

  © 2025 Phil Perkins

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  PHOTO CREDIT: modified photo from unsplash.com.

  Three Roses, by America (1972) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  June 6, 2025

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  America, building, counting, Dreams, family, folk music, future, life, love, marriage, Music, numbers, offspring, poem, Poems of Life, Poems of Love and Romance, poet, relationships, rhyme, romance, roses, stanza, unsplash.com, verse, writing

• Poem

  

  Stories in trinkets
  Gold crickets with tales
  Shadows bend sunlight
  In storm driven gales

  Monsters with sharp teeth
  Small critters that crawl
  Worn out old sneakers
  And trips to the mall

  Sometimes it’s too much
  Treading water, so fast
  Two for a dollar
  Never spent to last

  See the big picture
  Embrace what is real
  Bring purpose to life
  Step forward with zeal

  © 2025 Phil Perkins

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  PHOTO CREDIT: modified photo from unsplash.com.

  Bad Sneakers, by Steely Dan (1975) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  May 1, 2025

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  achievement, advice, ambition, Bad Sneakers, challenges, creative writing, direction, faith, future, goals, life, mindfulness, Music, old shoes, perseverance, poem, Poems of Life, poet, poetry, positivity, progress, reality, rhyme, sneakers, Steely Dan, truth, unsplash.com, writing

• Poem

  

  Close your eyes and make a wish
  Spend a penny on the well
  Listen for your luck to sound
  Count your blessings – time will tell

  © 2024 Phil Perkins

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  PHOTO CREDIT: modified photo from unsplash.com.

  These Eyes, by The Guess Who (1968) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  October 29, 2024

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  blessings, creative writing, Dreams, good fortune, good luck, hope, lucky, lucky penny, make a wish, Music, poem, Poems of Life, poet, poetry, prayers, The Guess Who, These Eyes, time, unsplash.com, well, wishes, wishing, wishing well, writing

• Poem for a Friend

  

  This poem was written for a dear friend of mine, Dara, a beautiful woman who warms my heart and is often a source of inspiration…

  On a quest from yesteryear
  Western trails with mountain views
  Reaching out, behold the sky
  Starry nights, in hiking shoes

  Dara, dear, your dreams are here
  Set full sail, get underway
  Step free from inhibition
  Forge ahead to change the day

  © 2024 Phil Perkins

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  Shambala, by Three Dog Night (1973) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  September 16, 2024

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  adventure, artifical intelligence, beauty, California, carpe diem, creative writing, Dara, Dreams, friendship, hiking, inspiration, love, mountains, Music, poem, Poems of Life, poet, poetry, quest, rhyme, romance, Shambala, stanzas, Three Dog Night, travel, vision, writer, writing

• Poem

  

  Full, overhead
  A moon of cheese
  With hungry mice
  And leafless trees

  The only way
  From here to there
  A mountain peak
  – climb if you dare

  Or, stay below
  And dream tonight
  Forage for food
  Come morning light

  Yours is the day
  Seize it at will
  Expect challenge
  Engage with skill

  © 2024 Phil Perkins

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  Tin Man, by America (1974) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  August 13, 2024

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  adventure, ambition, America, animals, appetite, artificial intelligence, aspiration, carpe diem, cartoon, cheese, comedy, comic, creative writing, drive, full moon, humor, hunger, mice, Miscellaneous Poems, Music, Nature, poem, Poems of Life, poet, poetry, rhyme, rhythm, seize the day, swiss cheese, Tin Man, Whimsical, whimsy

• Poem

  

  I wrote this poem for a dear friend of mine, Martha. She’s a wonderful neighbor and a pillar of our mountain community…

  A woman of the mountain
  Her resourcefulness, immense
  Martha lends a helping hand
  – say the word, and she’ll commence

  She’s known all over the world
  As a friend with a dear heart
  Crafting landscapes out of love
  She’s both beautiful and smart

  © 2024 Phil Perkins

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  PHOTO CREDIT: modified photo from unsplash.com.

  Saturday in the Park, by Chicago (1972) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  July 14, 2024

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  beauty, Chicago, creative writing, friendship, helping, landscaping, Martha, Miscellaneous Poems, mountain life, Music, poem, Poems of Life, poet, poetry, resourcefulness, rhyme, Saturday in the Park, sharing, talent, unsplash.com, verses, writer

• Poem

  

  This poem was inspired by a beautiful woman and dear friend, Dara, with whom I enjoy an occasional morning walk…

  Hand in hand, come walk with me
  Let our steps create one line
  Happiness flows from the heart
  On this path we share, divine

  © 2024 Phil Perkins

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  PHOTO CREDIT: modified photo from unsplash.com.

  What You Won’t Do for Love, by Bobby Caldwell (1991) – see lyrics here.

  Phil

  July 11, 2024

  Music, Poetry & Writing

  Bobby Caldwell, creative writing, Dara, friendship, Graphic Design, inspiration, love, Music, poem, Poems of Life, poet, poetry, rhyme.stanza, romance, Romantic Poems, sharing, silhouettes, togetherness, unsplash.com, verse, walking, What You Won't Do For Love, writing