Peter Lilly: Poems

I'm delighted to announce that I have two poems included in the brand new anthology of poetry inspired by the one and only Bob Dylan, published by Fevers of the Mind . As for so many people, Bob Dylan has been a hugely important artist in my development as a person, a musician, and a poet. I grew up listening to him, because my dad was a fan. It was at the age of 13, when I first heard Dylan read his poem "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie" , the final track on Volume One of his Bootleg Series, that I was first deeply impacted by the power of poetry, and started writing poems of my own. If longevity of career, diversity of output and fanbase, ability to adapt to sociocultural changes, enduring relevance, and ability to inspire new works or art, are measures of a great artist, then Bob Dylan is surely one of the greatest of the last century. And this exciting anthology of poetry inspired by his words and music is a great example of how he continues to inspire new artists and...

I'm really proud to announce that I have had a sequence of three sonnets published in "Waging Peace", the Summer 2022 edition of BeZine. The BeZine is an online journal focusing on "activism-art related to peace, sustainability, social justice, and the life f the spirit with activism." It is a privilege to be included in a project of such positivity and creativity. My three Sonnets are part of my series "Poems and Sonnets for the End of Modernity" which have already appeared in a number of different journals. This series of three sonnets takes us through different ways of engaging with discontent and revolution. "Fights" explores negative reactionism, after which "The Good Fight" seeks to reframe protest and struggle asking deeper questions. Finally "Revolutionary" starts to paint a picture of the sort of holistic and personal change that is makes up the social change that is needed. The forth poem in this sequence was pub...

I'm very happy to announce that two of my poems have been published in issue one of the exciting new literary journal Archetype .  With the tagline "Reminding us what it is like to be made of flesh" they seek to publish work that honestly highlights and celebrates the embodied nature of human existence. It's always great to see a journal start from a great idea, and even better when the start is this strong. Follow this link to check out their wonderful first issue and discover the wonderful creativity within... The two poems I have in this wonderful issue are 'A Man Without a Mirror' and 'To My Son, At 3 Days'. 'A Man Without a Mirror'  poses questions about self-image as an admiration of a person who is oblivious to the reflected gaze of not only our mirrors, but our innumerable devices with selfie cameras. 'To My Son, At 3 Days' is a poem that has particular importance for me because I wrote it while in hospital three days after ...

  I'm honoured to announce that three of my poems have been published in Issue 4 of the ever-wonderful Paddler Press. Paddler Press is a print poetry & art magazine based in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong, Ontario, Canada. The aim to 'share the work of amazing creators with the world.' What I love about Paddler is how their appreciation for the beauty of language and the beauty of the natural world intermingle to produce deep and inspiring issues.  Two of my poems, 'Unfamiliar' and 'Harrowed' are from my series 'Poems and Sonnets for the End of Modernity', written out of reflections on how the COVID crisis has affected the current socio-cultural shift we are living through. Other poems from this series can be read in Ekstasis Magazine here and here , two poems featured in the Lothlorien Poetry Journal issue 7 and online here , owenbarfield.org , Agape Review , Radix Magazine , and Macrina Magazine . My third poem in this series 'Spring' is a...

  I'm really pleased to announce that I have an article , which includes five poems, published in this months edition of Radix Magazine. This edition, and the last edition of Radix have been focussing on frontline work with vulnerable and destitute people, and my article was born from reflections of my five years working in frontline homelessness care for the UK charity New Hope.  The article is specifically aimed at Christian believers and aims at giving reasons why the revolutionary work of caring for the vulnerable and destitute is a very important part of Christian discipleship. Most of the five poems were written during my time in this work. The poem 'Absolution' has already appeared in the journal Heart of Flesh , and you can also see a video I made for another of the poems 'Agony' here . New Hope is a wonderful local homeless charity based in Watford, north-west of London. It provides a variety of emergency and supported accommodation as well as outreach and...

  I'm excited to announce that my poem ' Imago Dei ' has been published by Spillwords Press. Spillwords is a wonderful online journal where writers 'share their words which feed the soul and ignite a flame within the heart while exciting the recesses of the brain.' They publish a wide variety of poetry, fiction and articles, and it is a privilege to be included on their platform.  My poem is a reflection on human nature and the innate value of personhood. We are so much more than useful!  Click here to give it a read and click the heart button to let Spillwords know that you like it.

I was truly honoured to have my poem 'Christmas Day' published in Ekstasis Magazine this Christmas day!  This is the second time I have had the privilege of appearing in Ekstasis ( click here to read 'for the Inklings' my other poem the published), who continue to publish wonderfully inspiring articles and poetry as part of Christianity Today's media family.  Ekstasis "aims to be a kind of digital cathedral, where we can have sanctuary from the noise, and find a place that captures our attention through loving art and luminous words," and it is wonderful to be a part of this cathedral.  I am especially humbled to see my name alongside other wonderful poets, especially two of my favourite living poets, Luci Shaw & Scot Cairns who were also published by Ekstasis in December 2021. My poem explores how, in moments of sharing and loving, we can experience a type of transfiguration, where 'A lifetime burns in every moment' to quote the T.S. Eli...