Psalms – Phil Miguel – The Makers Collective

hello world!

Phil Miguel

Originally a health care worker for the FVRD for over a decade, Phil decided to take his life in a slightly less dramatic direction and began his career in theatre. Over the most recent decade he has been a designer, director, actor, and producer in Vancouver spawning two theatre companies (Clockwork and Cave Canem) with multiple acclaimed and nominated productions. His past designs include lights for the best production nominated Lonesome West with Cave Canem Productions, set for Gramma with Pacific Theatre, and props for Wakey Wakey with Pacific Theatre. As production manager he enjoys learning how to create reconstructable pumpkins and sanskrit scrabble tiles and trying to figure out how to make things concurrently water and fire proof.

Penumbra

It is later than you think

as you lay hiding your limbs

from the violence of sunlight

unknowing of the tireless fingers

that stitch together

the shroud of your remaking

your cracked toes and aching shoulders tilted

ever so slightly toward the

dirt at your feet

you alone the final barrier

to the end of your own contrivance

behind you, beside you

at the corner of your eye

at the edge of anticipation

looms the framing for your ultimate unveiling

the colours of your rebirth

weaved in and throughout

the needles of consciousness

and knotted three times

by tireless fingers

for the exhausted heart

reaching up to the sky

down into the earth

and all about you

your nascent glory

thankful for the gift of rain

Shark Bait

I pet a shark once

its skin was sooooo rough

like the pet rock I had when I was 8

and didn’t realize it was a pet yet

I just wanted something to talk to

that wouldn’t judge me for walking on my tiptoes

It was mostly harmless

probably an adolescent

in what my memory tells me

is the largest petting pool I’ve ever seen

the shark, not the rock

I think sharks get a bad rap

apex predator of the ocean

hunting and eating from the moment they’re born

but what else are they supposed to do with all those teeth

dolphins on the other hand have very smooth skin

I’ve never pet a dolphin

I missed out on the two opportunities I ever had

Do they even let people pet dolphins anymore

or have they bitten too many children at this point?

Maybe they bite just as many children as other children

Their mouths just more efficient at inflicting damage

Belugas have always been my favourite, no thanks to Raffi

Dolphins too

but I’m told that whales and dolphins

are essentially the same thing

I suppose I’m fond of orcas as well

but, like sharks, they have a pretty bad rap sheet

Killer whale is a pretty serious title

Killer fish never really landed the same way

They’re just sharks

I remember reading a story about a whale

that was separated from her calf

mere days from giving birth

and ended up killing one of their trainers.

I guess whales are expected to maintain a certain level of decorum

I think about that a lot

and sharks.

there’s a turning point for everything

and even sharks were babies once.