Rage Fire

The truth has lit a rage fire in my belly
Where there was guilt and pity
There is now a simple aching coal
Burning so hot it challenges the sun

-gws

The Rocky Path

I’m walking between worlds 
Both in a nightmare
And waking from one
Navigating the rocky path
One footfall at a time
Calling on my ancestors 
Those women who each
Did the same in their own way 
As I step out of darkness 
Into the healing light of freedom 

-gws

Burn

I sat in the flames as it all burned down
Trying to douse it with tears
But now I see things for what they are
And I step back to watch it burn

-gws

Offline

I regret to inform you
That the reality you subscribe to
Is currently offline 
As reality has no power switch 
There is no way to reset the system
Please accept my apologies 
For the extreme inconvenience
Such is the risk of sentient life
I never promised you life would be easy

-gws

Blanket Fort

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

I loved blanket forts as a child
I would live in a blanket fort 
For as long as I could get away with it
Inside was my temple
Soft, dark, warm and safe
Outside was an adventure
Sometimes the real world
More often, though, anything else 
Other worlds filled with
Villains and friends
Hazards and wonders
Mischief and magic
Infinite possibilities 
Stood beyond my blanket walls
My plush sanctuary
Existing in two places at once
A world within the world
Transporting away from and rooting me to
Home

-gws

Box of Postcards

I wrote you a box of postcards
I never sent
I could not set the stamp
In place
I could not address it 
To that space
You weren't there anyway
You never really were

-gws

Notes to Self

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity
Trust yourself
In the midst of chaos, find your calm
Embrace the unknown
Everyday is a second chance
Keep going 

-gws

Patience

Patience is hard
Growing 
Becoming
Evolving
All require patience
In a world where instant gratification
Rewards us at the tap of a button
Practicing patience can feel like torture

Patience demands of us 
To stay tethered to this moment
Preventing any full escape into distraction
Being present is trying
It feels hard
Abrasive
Affronting
We are uncomfortable
Patience requires us to 
Embrace the discomfort
That often comes from 
Being wholly present

Patience presents the opportunity 
To practice experiencing the now
To practice being curious
About our being
About our feelings
So that we may learn
To know ourselves better
So that we may learn to be 
More comfortable
In our own skin
In our own spirit
In our own life

-gws

Learn to Say Goodbye

I see the grief in your eyes
As the carefully crafted reality you made
Starts to fracture into a cascade of spiderwebs
The part of me that still loves you 
Wants to comfort you
Tell you that everything will be ok
But I cannot do that
This disillusionment is necessary
And being trapped inside your bell jar
Has nearly ended me
I will not forge you a new one with false hope
That I am still your refuge
Because this all must end
You must face the world
On the other side of the looking glass
The real world where the damage you have wrought
Lays exposed before you
A cold world where you are finally alone
My heart breaks because it didn't need to be this
I wanted to love you
I tried to
But you didn't know how to accept love
And you didn't know how to give love
Because you don't know how to love yourself
You don't know what healthy love feels like
I feel the grief in my heart as I watch you
Watch your world unravel
I mourn for both of us
For the future that will never be
For the past so full of pain
For the love we both deserved but
That couldn't survive your demons
I did love you
I loved you so much, so hard
I forgot how to love myself
I grieve for all we are letting go of
I grieve along side you
As my hand slips from yours
And we learn to say goodbye

-gws

Unintended Consequences

I tried to love you
In spite of yourself
I couldn’t know
That I’d forget
To love me
In the process

-gws