What is
No longer serves me
I glance back over my shoulder
Setting this place and time
Into my memory to honor
The weight of this moment
This chapter has ended
Though I may be the only
One who knows it
I shoulder my bag
With deliberate movements
And a deep sigh
It’s time to find out
To discover
To move on and move forward
With a step
I let go of what was
And turn toward a path I know
Will be paved with the opportunity
For enlightenment and discovery
-gws
The long night arrives at dawn How long was I in the darkness My escape is almost complete The journey from my hardships Nearly done A better life awaits On the horizon -gws
When vibrant joy sparks bitter tears It means that too many years Have been spent in emotional blight That no jubilation can put to right Like a cloud crossing the sun Or a dissonant chord rung When my heart swells and glows My nervous system knows That this joy will lead to grieving My chest begins its heaving Turning smiles into frowns As the cortisol lets down How long has this been so I will not pretend to know Like a candle smothered I unconsciously keep covered That which makes me take up space Before I can feel the grace Of real joy in my blood I dump it in the mud I avoid the disappointment Like a fly stuck in the ointment I abandon my true will When he sets on me that chill And so I am now trained That joy will end in pain I know that I must mend So the sun can shine again -gws
The roulette wheel revolves
Luck is on my side
Fortune shines upon me
I can do no wrong
-gws
I throw open the window
And bathe in the light of the new day
Infinite possibilities await me
I dance to the bird song
I breathe in the fragrance of
Newly bloomed flowers
I am excited to greet the day
As the fresh start it is
The day’s adventure awaits
-gws
The sound reverberates in my ears
It vibrates across my skin
As the applause rolls out of the
Blackness beyond the spotlight
Time slows
As a radiant smile stretches
Across my beaming face
I bow once
Twice
I bring my hand to my breast
As I appreciate the accolades
For my dedicated performance
-gws
There it is
My second wind
I feel the surge
I see the win
All doubt cast out
The race is mine
I see my in
It is my time
-gws
Gold, yellow, red
A carpet of leaves
It crunched beneath their feet
As they played in the light of the golden afternoon
Cheeks rosey and hair wild
Autumn had come
-gws
I got this
I can balance career and family
I got this
I can plan the birthday party
And bake for the PTA fundraiser
I got this
I can drop one kid at dance class
And drop the other at karate
I got this
I can cook dinner
And help with homework
But a little help once in a while
Would be nice
-gws
Tears paint salty paths down my cheeks
Blood rushes in my ears
Like the sound of hard rain beating down
Violent sobs convulse me
It is all I can do to breathe
I am immobilized by my devastation
Why me?
Why now?
Why this way?
Why at all?
What have I done to deserve this fate?
My life has walked off a cliff
And is now decimated on the sharp rocks
Espoused to the violent sea
There is no place lower than this
There is no pain deeper than this
I raise my face to the sky
It is painted in the softest, light-kissed pastels
Rays of the setting sun arch up from the horizon
The beauty delivers me from my inner torment
Long enough to remember this pain will not last forever
This trauma is not an end of me
But a door into a new beginning for me
I am reminded that to appreciate the beauty of the light
One must experience the depth of darkness
And when I'm ready
I shall emerge a new version of myself
Scarred and tender
But wiser and smarter for it
-gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 