ALL USED UP - SPOKEN WORD POETRY BY PHOENIX JAMES

ALL USED UP

I hope you rise filled abundantly with all life gave you, but yet satisfyingly empty.

I hope you save or hold nothing back of yourself in this life
I hope you learn to let go
Let go until your heart and your palms are light and bare
Until you free your feet and give birth to wings
Until your mind and spirit find peace
I hope you lay it all out
All of it
Everything
Everything you came with
Everything you now have
All you collected and accumulated
Learned and gathered and became attached to carrying with you along your way
Those treasures you forgot you had
Buried somewhere inside
I hope you discover them again
One day when something feels absent and you’re not sure where you are
I hope you leave them all here
Your light and your dark places
All that you are
All that you were and have to give now
Leave them behind for others to find
Here where our gifts are only given to us to be given away
Just like your brilliant smile
It is of no worth to you until it is presented to another
Here, where you are of most use, as was intended
Here where light begets light, and chases away shadows
By the time your wings take you beyond this place
I hope you have left nothing of your self
I hope you take nothing of your value with you
That you leave each and every one of your special little precious gems behind
That your soul floats lightly
In the knowing that you gave much more than you took
I hope you rise filled abundantly with all life gave you, but yet satisfyingly empty
Not a thing unseen, unshared, unsaid, undiscovered or undone
When you leave
May it be with an empty cup
By such time
I hope you’re all used up

This is a track from my latest album, A Patchwork Remedy for A Broken Melody. Listen now on SoundCloud.

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PHOENIX JAMES

Phoenix James is an award winning Writer, Poet, Author, Spoken Word Recording Artist and Producer. He began performing his poetic words live on stages across the United Kingdom in 1998. His debut spoken word poetry album, The A.R.T.I.S.T, was released in 2000 under the moniker, Phenzwaan. Phoenix James’ first limited edition printed collection of poetry, To Whom It May Concern, was published in 2003. He has toured and performed his spoken word poetry internationally since 2004. Phoenix James has appeared in films, on television and radio shows, and collaborated with other artists, singer-songwriters, actors, musicians, filmmakers, directors and producers. In 2013, he wrote, directed and produced the feature length mock documentary film, Love Freely but Pay for Sex. Phoenix James has written, recorded and released several spoken word poetry albums including, Phenzwaan Now & Forever (2009), A Patchwork Remedy for A Broken Melody (2020), FREE (2021), Haven for the Tormented (2021), With All That Said (2022), and Remixes Volumes: 1 & 2 (2022). He is the author of, Love, Sex, Romance & Other Bad Things, the first collection in his new poetry and spoken word book series. Other books in this series include, Route to Destruction, Delirium of the Wise, Don’t Let the Daffodils Fool You, Call Me When You’re Free, Far from the Outside, The Ones We Didn't Kill, and Lessons from Everywhere, all available in paperback and ebook. Phoenix James lives in London, England and enjoys movies, music, plays, good food, long walks, and travelling. Sign up to his website Newsletter Mailing List to stay up to date with Phoenix James news and new releases. www.PhoenixJamesOfficial.com