Is there consciousness
without language …
how would you know
I believe that there is
but have nothing
to show
The ‘Hard Problem’
continues …
unmetered unrhymed
Restated
unproven
— and left ill defined
(Radnor High School: January, 2026)
Author: Kurt Philip Behm
I am a lifelong author with 21 books published to date—one best seller. Much of my writing is about the deception of time and its many disguises.
My Poetry 'An Anthology Of Perception,' is now available in four volumes.
In addition I have a 175 page Poem 'After Midnight,' that was published in
2014.
My Historical Fiction series, 'The Sword Of Ichiban' is now up to volume 8 which is being published this Spring ...
Vol #1- The Sword Of Ichiban
Vol #2- Darkening Sun
Vol #3- Revenge Along The War Trail
Vol #4- Death From The Sky
Vol #5- Jumping Into the Darkness
Vol #6- The Fall City Mandate.
Vol #7- Approaching Storm
Vol #8- Brothers In Blood
One autobiographical novel, 'The Death Of The Playground' a Best Seller,
published in 2007.
One travel novel, 'Searching For Crazy Horse,' published in 2005, recapping my forty years of motorcycle touring in the American Rocky Mountain West.
I have written one Children's Book, 'Sammy & Bumpers' that was published in 2016.
All of my books are available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and better
Book Stores world wide.
Kurt Philip Behm
‘Seal Creed’
Let the other guy
die for his country …
I’m living for mine
Let the other guy
waddle in shame …
in glory I cry
Let the other guy
sanction defeat …
in victory I thrive
Let the other guy
rot in his grave …
eternal I strive
(For Will: January, 2026)
“Musick Hath Charms …”
Words set to music
reach a loftier plane
than naked words
alone
Melody lifting
what’s spoken or sung
to where only
— it can go
(Dreamsleep: January, 2026)
Memories Of J.D.
Release your mind
from the bonds of expedience
And harvest in the crops
of your insanity
(Anthology Of Perception #1: July, 1969)
On Huntington Beach With J.D. (Jim) Morrison
Meeting The Moment
Never shoot a
large caliber man
with a small caliber
bullet
Never write a
high impact verse
with a low impact
couplet
Never scribe a
Tolstoyan novel
when an essay
will do
Never bless the
gifted moment
with a feeling
— penned untrue
(The New Room: January, 2026)
False Witness
If I described
a rose’s bloom
or the beauty
of the rising sun
Then I’d be writing
another’s verse
conscripted words
respun
If I then waxed
of love on high
and hearts that
break anew
Then falsely would
I pen the lines
a plagiarist
— in view
(Dreamsleep: January, 2026)
Excuses Set Sail
The wickedness
of man
trumps the goodness
of God
What’s harder for
a child
to see their mother dead
or their father sob
The greater number
of a man’s errors
come disguised
as perfection
As excuses
sets sail
on the sea
— of perdition
(Dreamsleep: January, 2026)
Eluding The Cries
Watching a hurricane
won’t get you wet
And reading more Freud
won’t help you forget
Mouthing the words
cannot guarantee sound
Laden with fear
hiding guilt by the pound
Stated intent
broken pathways to roam
Paring good wishes
right down to the bone
New skin in the game
and wounds that won’t heal
Eluding the cries
— and truth unrevealed
(Dreamsleep: January, 2026)
‘Hallelujah In The Wind’
The edge of eternity
often obscured
lost in plain sight
just beyond
Until cutting through
a moments grief
immortalized
in song
Leonard Cohen and
Bob Dylan as one
freeing new spaces
inside
Where lost in
the maelstrom
alone disavowed
— the best of ourselves tries to hide
(The New Room: January, 2026)
Stopping To Ponder
You wouldn’t hire
a fox
to reinvent
the henhouse
And you wouldn’t
task a mute
to shout
“The Enemy’s Approaching”
You wouldn’t
date a woman
another’s love
she carries
And you wouldn’t
give a hand
to a foe who’s pledged
to bite it
You wouldn’t
show your cards
to a double-dealing
cheater
And you wouldn’t
trust a bard
who can’t read his words
with feeling
You wouldn’t
take the time
from an hourglass
that’s empty
And you wouldn’t
stop to ponder
on an answer
— without question
(Dreamsleep: January, 2026)
An Anthology Of Perception 