Poetry / Written Word

These Tides that Ebb and Flow

Hello my name is Keith Plate and I would love to take this opportunity to tell you about an integral part of my recovery; my poetry. I am the host of Voices of Empowerment over at THRIVE Recovery Center in Suffolk County, New York. It is an amazing venue. I have always been an avid poet and have always longed for the day to not only have the courage to read my poetry on stage but to one day publish my work in a book of poems. The written word has been an incredible asset to my recovery. I have a huge ego and low self esteem and I have spent most of my life in fear. Fear of what others might think, fear of not being accepted and fear of the truth within myself. Putting my innermost truths to paper and then getting up on stage for all to see has been THE most therapeutic tool in my recovery hands down. All of my work for the past five years has been recovery poetry. In that time I have amassed volumes of material. I also have many short stories so my love for writing includes more than just poetry.

These Tides that Ebb and Flow

On the wind a bit of chill but it is crisp and it feels clean
And on the scent of fallen leaves when this poet begins to dream…
I’ll not rage against the dying light nor cast my downward eyes
No fear for the coming night nor its starlit skies
I shall not fear to plumb the depths nor long for what might have been
Nor seek to find the strongest drink to drown out all the sin
No time for sifting through the ash of the fires that did rage
No time to count up all the loss from the wars that I would wage
I’ll not forget my father’s face though he be gone so long a year
Nor struggle with the torment from the voices I would hear
I will not falter for the wind not for the tempest it would blow
My church I build upon this rock to keep the rain out and the snow
And as I drink straight from the chalice of the cup that is called life
I learn to love the bittersweet to take the joy as well the strife
The journey is both long and brief as each day gives back the night
But it’s set upon the road within where I learn what’s wrong from right
For the sun will surely shine again and it may come and it may go
But it’s all just a poets dream in these tides that ebb and flow

~ Keith Plate