Geoffrey Philp
Bio
I am a Jamaican writer. I write poems (haiku & haibun), stories & essays about climate change, Marcus Garvey, music icons such as Bob Marley, and the craft of writing through personal reflection & societal engagement.
Stories (71/0)
Bob Marley and the 7 Chakras
For many, the name Bob Marley conjures up the caricature of a party-going, ganja-smoking Rastaman. For others, it evokes the image of a freedom fighter dedicated to peace and brotherhood. During his brief but intense career, Marley was both. Even now, many years after his transition, his music is known and appreciated by people who couldn’t name another reggae musician if they had to. Perhaps that’s because Marley was more than just a pop singer.
By Geoffrey Philp 3 months ago in Writers
The Poetic Backbeat
John Lennon once proclaimed that impactful songwriting means to “Say what you mean, make it rhyme, and put a backbeat to it” (Lennon). Yet Lennon’s advice should not be limited to writing pop songs--it also offers guidance for composing free verse poetry. For although free verse, unlike sonnets, lacks rhyme schemes and rhythmic meter, it uses literary techniques to create rhythmic effects that convey meaning with symbolic resonance akin to the backbeat in music.
By Geoffrey Philp 3 months ago in Poets
- Runner-Up in Abecedarian Challenge
Marcus Garvey's Light of FreedomRunner-Up in Abecedarian Challenge
1. "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots." 2. "Black Star Line. I am going home on the Black Star Line. I am going home, going home, I am going home, sweet home on the Black Star Line."
By Geoffrey Philp 3 months ago in Poets
- Top Story - January 2024
The Persistence of GreenTop Story - January 2024
Ever since the lockdown, my morning routine has been to read the newspapers, eat breakfast with my wife, and take a long walk through Greynolds Park, where I usually write a haiku or two, and then I head back home for lunch.
By Geoffrey Philp 4 months ago in Poets
Chanting Down Babylon in the Anthropocene
The music of Bob Marley and the Wailers has always been a guiding force in my life. From as early as 1973, when I lived in Mona Heights, Jamaica, and sat in the living room of Micky Mowatt, or Jah Love as we called him after the name of his sound system, I still remember the first time I heard "Rastaman Chant" from the Burnin’ album.
By Geoffrey Philp 6 months ago in Poets
- Top Story - October 2023
Writing Ekphrastic Haiku in Liturgical TimeTop Story - October 2023
Dear Elizabeth, On my usual walk to Greynolds Park, searching for something, as Bashō said, that would make “my mind leap,” I thought about your Facebook post on October 2, 2023: “Today is the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels.”
By Geoffrey Philp 6 months ago in Poets
The Crucible of the Page
Alchemy was the stuff of medieval tales. Alchemists--not the ones like Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle--were old men with pointy hats, almost like wizards, standing over furnaces with alembics and other distillation devices. And to be an alchemist, you couldn't be any old wizard--you had to be like a Merlin-level alchemist for transformation to occur. Or so I thought until I realized that every time I pick up my pen--yeah, I still use a pen, think of it as my magic wand-- I'm performing a feat of alchemy.
By Geoffrey Philp 7 months ago in Writers
