Paradoxical Phoenix

10/16/2026

the bigger the fall

It’s a pity you held yourself,
In such high regard;
Because not only did you crash,
Baby, you fell spectacularly hard.

They say the bigger the cloud,
The better the fall;
Well the plume that you left,
It eclipsed them all.

I’m sure you would have laughed,
Not believing there was a chance;
That nothing would change,
You could tell at a glance.

But soon you retreated,
Further into your shell;
Those around you watched,
You sink into your own personal hell.

I hope you can find your way up,
Back onto the right track;
I keep holding out my hand,
Yet you keep pushing me back.

I don’t know what it will take,
For you to change your point of view;
But from where I sit,
Your life is killing you.

You say you wish to move forward,
Yet you keep holding yourself back;
Your bitter, pervasive anger,
Is a viscous, malicious attack.

Those who remain around you,
See the path that you tread;
I pray you’ll decide to change it,
Before it’s too late and you’re dead.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix


Original art: Syringe Full of Shadows
By Flagrant Contempt on DeviantArt

10/15/2026

facing the fear

The path I’ve walked,
Has led me here;
Now it is time,
For me to face my fear.

Triggered and anxious,
Scared and in pain;
You want me to surrender control?
You must be insane!

My heart’s at a gallop,
My hands are shaking;
I’m covered in sweat,
Faced with this undertaking.

I’ve bargained with myself,
Just one more day;
But you cannot wish,
Your problems away.

My past experiences,
Are coloring my view;
It’s difficult for me,
To find a perspective that’s new.

So I’m taking a deep breath,
And I’m walking through that door;
Knowing no matter what happens,
Things will be different than before.

I’m letting go,
I’m facing my fear;
I’m moving forward,
My path led me here.

Step by step,
Breath by breath;
I’m trusting it’s all,
For the best.

All I want,
Is on the other side of fear;
Moment by moment,
I shall persevere.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix

10/11/2026

-childhood past-

Do you remember what it was like,
To dance in the rain;
When you had nothing to lose,
And everything to gain?

Do you remember,
Praying for snow?
You hoped school would close,
So you wouldn’t have to go!

Do you remember what it was like,
To be young and free?
To have no particular place to go,
And you could just simply be.

Do you remember,
The dreams of your youth?
When you knew wrong from right,
Feeling strong in your truth.

Do you remember what it was like,
Waiting for your first kiss?
You wanted to do it right,
You were afraid you might miss.

Do you remember,
The days that have past?
It’s funny how you miss your childhood,
When you felt you’d escaped it at last.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix


Art credit: Redbubble

10/10/2026

Choosing Ignorance

It’s all right there for the taking,
If you truly wish to be free;
The question you have to ask yourself,
Is will I stretch myself intellectually?

A wealth of information,
Is at your beck and call;
If you lived 500 lifetimes,
You couldn’t devour it all.

Will you continue to confine yourself,
To your spoon-fed, narrow, point of view;
Or will you research and get educated,
And finally consider something new?

You can choose to remain ignorant,
Locking yourself into a rigid box;
In the meantime things are evolving,
Despite your limited thoughts.

Keep buying what they sell you,
Stay a mushroom in the dark;
But then don’t be surprised,
When your world is bleak and stark.

They say ignorance can be bliss,
I wonder if this is true;
I won’t let it happen to me,
Don’t let it happen to you.

Leslie Bertrand
©️Paradoxical Phoenix
10 October 2026

10/10/2026

What It Is

It’s the give and the take,
It’s the highs and the lows;
How you rise and fall with the tides,
How you go with the flow.

No one ever said,
It would be easy you know;
All that glitters,
Is really just for show.

It’s a certain chance,
It’s a guaranteed risk;
It’s getting buried,
And climbing out of that pit.

It’s the friends you’ve made,
The life you’ve lived;
It’s about letting go,
And learning to forgive.

It’s about making the most,
Out of your every day;
Working equally hard,
As you get to play.

It’s recognizing the reason,
For someones’ cries;
And doing your best to change it,
Before opportunity dies.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix

10/08/2026

burn baby, burn

You said I’m gonna burn my bridges,
I asked for gasoline and a match;
Because I’m gonna light a bonfire,
And start all over from scratch.

I’m gonna rise from the ashes,
For phoenixes never burn;
We only come back stronger,
From the lessons we have learned.

I’m gonna stoke the fire,
I’m reborn in the flames;
I’m gonna keep moving forward,
To ensure things will change.

I’m gonna rise even higher,
Who knows how high I’ll soar;
Every time I think the ride is over,
It begins again once more.

I’m gonna go the distance,
I’m gonna persevere;
I’m gonna make a difference,
And I’m gonna begin right here.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix

10/07/2026

Indulgence

As your hands caress my skin,
I’m drinking you in.

As I thrill to your touch,
I want you so much.

As your eyes fill with fire,
I catch your desire.

As our voices blend,
I wish this would never end.

As we come together once more,
Our spirits do soar.

As I lie here with you,
I know dreams can come true.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix


Original art: Melissa Huang, “Play II”

10/06/2026

The Engagement

We come from opposite sides of the battleground you and I.

We may both be retired, but old combatants never forget the campaigns.

Curiously, we find ourselves joined together in the most important mutual combat of our lifetimes; for the physical journey is but a skirmish which is ultimately lost amidst the bigger landscape of spiritual warfare in which we are currently engaged.

Together we will fearlessly surmount all the obstacles which lie before us.

A rollercoaster of a trip that we have both agreed to undertake.

Eyes wide open, no safety harness, full speed ahead.

What dream shall we conquer next?

Leslie Bertrand
©️Paradoxical Phoenix
5 October 2026

10/05/2026

*this one comes with a trigger warning ⚠️*

I Watched

I watched you die from a distance,
And there was nothing I could do;
Distance doesn’t make it easier,
It’s just a different point of view.

I watched as your body failed you,
And you cried out in fear and pain;
As your trauma paralyzed you,
You couldn’t move past the shame.

I watched as you told your story,
In both pictures and in words;
And I had to sit and wonder,
How many other people heard.

I watched as your family silenced you,
They didn’t want to hear your cries;
I came and sat and listened,
Right there by your side.

I watched for some handfuls of minutes,
They barely added up to an hour;
And I saw how your past traumas,
Had stripped you of your power.

I have watched and I witnessed,
Just a fraction of your life;
And the tragedy that unfolded,
Still cuts me like a knife.

I watched in silent horror,
But I can stay silent no more;
I have to wonder who found you,
And carried you out the door?

I watched and I waited,
I hoped and I prayed;
That dying lost and alone,
Wouldn’t be the end of your days.

Leslie Bertrand
©️Paradoxical Phoenix

10/03/2026