In his poetry collection, Musings, Phillip Eugene Bainbridge reflects on the quiet beauty of nature, the weight of time, and the questions that linger in moments of stillness. With poems that feel both intimate and universal, Bainbridge explores longing, loss, and the gentle hope found in life’s simplest rhythms—like the shifting of shadows or the steady flow of a stream.
Musings is a tender and contemplative journey for anyone who has ever stood in silence and waited for the world to speak.
In his poetry collection, Musings, Phillip Eugene Bainbridge reflects on the quiet beauty of nature, the weight of time, and the questions that linger in moments of stillness. With poems that feel both intimate and universal, Bainbridge explores longing, loss, and the gentle hope found in life’s simplest rhythms—like the shifting of shadows or the steady flow of a stream.
Musings is a tender and contemplative journey for anyone who has ever stood in silence and waited for the world to speak.
QUIET ROOM
I sit before the fireplace
There is only the sound of burning wood
I'm waiting for the room to share its secrets
And I wait
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/home-living-room-fireplace-7860106/
HIDDEN JOY
The sun hangs in a blue sky
Filled with birds' songs
Chipmunks scatter
Melancholy hides all from view
Appearing when my joy returns
https://pixabay.com/photos/chipmunk-garden-spring-flowers-2318395/
DREAMS
The light fades
Pulling a shade over my eyes
I drift into the realm of dreams
Watching unworldly scenes
Soon forgotten
https://pixabay.com/photos/horse-pegasus-archway-fantasy-3395135/
BEES
Fallen trees
Autumn leaves
The honeybees are missing
Until the days turn warm
And my tea accepts their gift of honey
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/bee-honey-fantasy-surreal-5109439/
PRIDE
The frenzied humming of the bees
Frightening a child who screams and cries
She runs to leave the threat behind
Proud of her bravery
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/06/05/17/41/child-5263902_1280.jpg
SPACE
I lingered by a hollow tree
Its space, a dispassionate reflection of me
Will time alone fill these spaces
Not the tree
Not me
https://pixabay.com/photos/hollow-tree-forest-snow-winter-4571146/
SHADOWS
The sun arrives from behind a cloud
Bringing a presence, I've been expecting
Moving when I move
Stopping when I stop
It won't answer my questions and has none of its own
The sun retreats, and I'm alone again
https://pixabay.com/photos/little-girl-walking-shadow-wall-2176130/
SONGS
I listen to songs I once knew so well
Bringing long lost memories to life
They will rest somewhere inside me
Until I hear the songs again
https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-listening-to-the-headphones-6942929/
A PLEA
I nap in the sun and dream
Of long lost passions
Clouds arrive to hide the sun
The dream fades
I plead for the sun to return
https://pixabay.com/photos/sky-clouds-sunlight-atmosphere-414199/
CHANGES
Roses fading
Green turned brown
All is still
Morphing into a dream
https://pixabay.com/photos/rose-flower-withered-wilted-dried-6919262/
LOVE
What is love
It is a feeling
What is the feeling
It is love
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2022/01/05/00/14/little-girl-6916208 1280.jpg
CHOICE
The outline of the tree
Black against the cloudless sky
I begin to wonder
Is my life the tree or the sky
https://pixabay.com/photos/tree-reflection-fog-water-nature-7403295/
A CARESS
A stream moves quietly
Embracing every stone and fallen tree
Heedless of the distant thunder
Its pace begins to quicken
Chased by an unknown foe
Stone and trees refuse to surrender
Waiting for the return of the sun
And the stream to resume its gentle caress
https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-autumn-stream-dress-stream-1144739/
CALM
The sun sparkles on the surface of the stream
Carrying an autumn leaf
Undisturbed
https://pixabay.com/photos/autumn-leaves-leaves-autumn-2152917/
WIND
Twilight
A gentle wind arrives
Invited by an unknown host
Carefree gusts disturb my peace
They will leave without my plea
Only to return
https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-portrait-monochrome-woman-6566780/
WORDS
Words
Do your part
Tell me why my heart is breaking
Looking for a fresh start
A soft landing
https://pixabay.com/photos/sad-girl-sadness-broken-heart-2042536/
SOUNDS
Light makes its exit
The woods are dark
Is there a sound when there's no one to hear
Are the trees listening
To the rustling leaves
And the flowers growing
We only need imagine
https://pixabay.com/photos/forest-trail-trees-path-4996811/
SAFETY
I use words to weave a blanket
Protecting me from unwanted thoughts
Safe while I weave
The blanket vanishes when I stop
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2022/12/09/00/47/autumn-7644257_1280.jpg
HIDDEN
Where do the words hide
Once lovely and free
I search for them
Hoping they will return
https://pixabay.com/photos/spiral-staircase-stairs-877834/
FOX
I shuffle through the forest leaves
A fox, startled by my presence
Watches me with wary eyes
Inviting me to follow
I have questions to ask this new friend
When we reach our journey's end
https://pixabay.com/photos/fox-forest-nature-animal-mammal-7107267/
SOUNDS
The woods are dark
Who can hear
The sounds of the night
Can they tell me
https://pixabay.com/photos/woods-woman-forest-silhouette-7461826/
FRIENDS
We meet with friends
Share the wine
And our thoughts
Too soon, we say goodbye
To wait for their return
https://pixabay.com/photos/wine-tasting-winery-vineyard-napa-1952074/
MOON BLANKET
The moon glows
Surrounded by the night
An unseen hand guides a cloud
Now a blanket for the moon
To rest until the sun returns
https://pixabay.com/photos/moon-sky-night-cloudy-moonlight-142977/
A DANCE
The wind is furious
Shadows of trees dance wildly
On the clapboard siding
Demanding entry
The wind surrenders
And calm returns
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/08/02/10/33/window-2570817_1280.jpg
FULL MOON
The moon is full
It shows my heart
The love it holds
The moon will change
My love will not
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2018/01/03/21/38/moon-3059324_1280.jpg
A STORY
The leaves fall
Gathering around their summer home
Standing naked
It will endure the winter's wrath
Waiting for spring
Completing a chapter in nature's story
https://pixabay.com/photos/winter-tree-snow-frost-frosty-4846638/
A VISION
A weeping willow
Moss-covered patio stones
Weathered Adirondack chairs
Rusty pots hang from an iron rack
Faded clapboard siding
Paddock, where horses once grazed
Now blanketed with clover
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=f4c6b00fd6&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r-7717672689051741021&th=192e2deaeb2eb943&view=fimg&fur=ip&permmsgid=msg-a:r-7717672689051741021&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ_ID4ORb3T4yTaHxA0pM98SF8-lTpuM7Zk5-NmgklSOzEcrn8O358R_L-ByvPJaqFVmFtPZn0wDtx_Do2SJfE003mief2p2euc80MBHPLgiwQ6NWAc6q1_93Tc&disp=emb&realattid=7C8A4F45-9301-4D03-B584-E436CC54EB5C&zw
WONDER
I stand
A flat cushion, a reminder of my presence
Someone will ponder
Who sat there
What were they doing
What were they thinking
I will not be there to tell them
But I will live in there imagination
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=f4c6b00fd6&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r-6275031197536188095&th=192e2d4781609b13&view=fimg&fur=ip&permmsgid=msg-a:r-6275031197536188095&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ--3tahKH-hDZAq1GLjk-ckylKpanlrNrHi2NvhRtleRzvns342Ebi-nENeiqvLW35njUVp0XtvVG2ELFw1Fz7Uzt24hTrK4H8rFkp3JIKSyX1K6LRlCFAMkZM&disp=emb&realattid=CC465269-C8F6-4B2F-A443-E0E1F0AF41D1&zw
CHANGE
The hills of New England in summer
Present a uniform cover of green
Each tree is a copy of the next
Fall will bring its palette of colors
Its brush applying rich reds, oranges, purples, and golds
Exposing the personality and beauty of each tree
https://pixabay.com/photos/new-hampshire-new-england-america-4015511/
PALS
Millie's puppy days are left behind
Gone is the limitless energy and curiosity
Now content to rest close to me
She is aging
I begin to grieve
https://pixabay.com/photos/dog-animal-puppy-pet-mammal-4390885/
NATURES SPECTACLE
The leaves dance like marionettes
Controlled by unseen strings
Held by the wind
Offering a view of nature's play
Until the wind dies and holds the strings no more
https://pixabay.com/photos/children-park-outdoors-nature-7344444/
WINE
The wine in the glass
Holds my past
I hesitate before each sip
Will it arouse
Happiness
Disappointment
Sadness
Regret
Maybe I'll have one sip more
https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-wine-black-and-white-2685717/
DEATH
Death walks the path to my door
Uninvited and confident
I wait for its knock
With no choice but to let it in
https://pixabay.com/photos/door-woman-yellow-portrait-people-5060421/
NORMANDY
The sky is blue and clear
A day that teases the imagination
Leaves fall guided by a gentle breeze
Like parachutes
Watched from the beach below
With hope and fear
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/11/02/21/19/autumn-4597457_1280.jpg
Musings is the new poetry collection from debut author Phillip Bainbridge. A retired legal attorney now living in Northwest Connecticut, USA, Bainbridge turns his experienced hand to poetry to give readers a succinct collection of poems.
Drawing inspiration from his surrounding environments, Bainbridge's poetry style is short and broadly reflective in nature, for the most part only a few lines and taking up less than half a page. Coming in at just over seventy pages, the inclusion of whole page imagery before and after each poem also adds extra pages to the length. That said, the increased font size and differing typeface is a pleasant variant from the standard twelve-point Times New Roman font that dominates publishing. Personal favourites within this particular collection of poems include "Moon Blanket" and "Wine".
While the poetry itself is gentle, it is not the strongest in the market for literary merit. Poems are very literal, if not a literal transcription of what Bainbridge has experienced. This very observational stance towards poetry comes across as being somewhat black-and-white. Separate to this, there are also questions around the use and choice of imagery. The fact that some, if not most/all of the imagery appears as if it is AI generated, also raises red flags in terms of ethical standards. If imagery is to be used, it is far better to support artistic talent and utilise the services of an artist or photographer.
As poetry goes, Musings does not particularly add anything new towards world thinking, nor does it seek to spark critical debate in living rooms across the breadth of the county. It is ultimately a light read, penned by an author who has been driven to write. Penned with love, it is with hope that Bainbridge will continue with his passions in the many years to come.
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