What Does a Poem Taste Like?

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Words take up room in my mouth
Coarse and bitter
Smooth and  sweet
Complex and spicy
Allowing me to experience the complex flavors of 
Emotion and experience
Desire and dreams
Hunger and horror
Sometimes voracious
Eager to be made manifest
Sometimes savored
Taking time to tumble onto the page
When the words combine just right
They produce seven course meals
Ready for the soul to consume
Every color, flavor, texture
Providing nourishment for the spirit
That only poetry can provide

 - gws

Happy NaPoWriMo eve!

I like…

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I like gray, rainy days
and words that start with the letter P
I like both boys and girls
and I like watching people play D&D

I like paper and pens
and cheeseburgers when I'm sad
I like philosophical conversations
and discussing dreams I've had

I like feelings
and wordplay
and poetry deep and dark
I like full moons
and new moons
and the sacred creative spark

I like soulmates
and best friends
and believing in heart bonds
I like ghost stories
and gut feelings
and speaking with gods

I like music
and theater
and unabashed dancing
I like laughter
and language
and flirtatious glancing

I like creating
and baking
and long sentences with tons of commas
I like stories
and slow burns
and getting lost in fictional dramas

I like philosophy
and fandoms
and so many things
I like that you reading this verse
gives my words wings

-gws

Rain Mellowed the Rock

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The rock stood stalwart over the sea
Strong
Silent
Resolute
Ever watching
Ever present
The sea praised the rock
Recognizing its reliability
Extolling its resilience
Of the rock's ability to weather the elements
Alongside the sea
But the rock wasn't resilient
The rock suffered
The rain mellowed the rock
Smoothing down its defined edges
At first the rock did not mind
Because aren't smoothed edges
A testament to its steadfast partnership with the sea
Showing proof of its loyalty
But water was also an insidious lover
The mist with the help of the wind found every crack
And forced its way deep within the stone
Expanding fissures and causing fractures
The rock without realizing lost itself to time
The relentlessness of water
Slowly broke down the rock
Until it one day crumbled into the sea
It was not mourned or missed
Its absence sparked no shadow of memory
For the sea still lapped and lashed and sprayed and claimed
All who sat upon its shore
One drop of salted water at a time

-gws

Songbird and the Sapling

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"It's Spring!" the little songbird sang,
excitement trilling in her voice.

"It is winter," groaned the sleepy sapling
whose roots were enshrouded in icy soil.

"But the sun is SO warm," whistled the songbird.

"Yes, but the ground is still SO cold," creaked the sapling
"Puff up, my small friend, and sleep with me a little longer.
When my buds start to sprout, we will both sing a song of
welcome for Spring."

So the songbird tucked up into a nook in the saplings branches
and together they hunkered down to wait for Spring to truly arrive.

-gws

Poetry Contest

Written for a fun February workplace contest

Roses are red
Violets are blue
It's February
And we invite you

To write us a poem
A sonnet or song
Just let the words out
Doesn't have to take long

The topic is LOVE
Plutonic or true
Requited or star-crossed
The choice, up to you

There's only one rule
It must be PG
As this is a workplace
HR's made the plea

Be you wordsmith or comic
Just let it flow
We'll up-vote our favorites
So that way we'll know

The contest winner
By popular vote
So scribble it out
And post what your wrote

-gws

Going to War

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Everyday I watch you head to war
War with the demons in your mind
War with your family
War with strangers
War with me
Your war created my PTSD
Always triggered
You constantly strategize and scrimmage
Uncaring about collateral damage
Gleefully seeking maximum carnage
You roll in the mud of your resentments
Wearing them like war paint
Screaming with berserker rage 
Craving vengeful satisfaction
Through blood lust and pain
Unaware your counting coo trophies
Leave you the monster of the story
The victim turned villain
Doomed in bitterness until the end

-gws

Rude

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I hate that I can be so self-focused
So rude
I forget to say hello
I forget to ask about 
Your children
Your health
Your work
Your spouse
Your fur babies
You

I often lose track of the polite things to say or do
When I am task-driven
I forget we are both human
I forget that our relationship 
Is more important than my question
I do not commit these omissions purposefully
I get distracted by the illusion of urgency

So I beg your forgiveness
I plead for your patience
I promise to try harder
To prioritize connection
And make space for us 
To see each other

-gws