I am a shorted circuit Blown out and useless Pushed beyond my capacity to function Unable to manifest an ounce of energy Burnt ozone the only proof That I blazed bright Before I met my limit And succumbed completely To my efforts to keep the lights on Forever numb -gws
I am drawn by the fire I talk to the wind I heal in sweet waters With Earth I am kin -gws
How do I turn down the pain?
How do I stop the loop that repeatedly plays your violent words that pierced my soul?
How do we recover from the bomb you threw at our feet so you could feel…
Better?
Superior?
Right?
I bled out from the wounds you gave me.
I died in front of you, and you didn’t even notice.
Worse, you didn’t care.
I have returned as a ghost, broken and haunted by unfinished business.
You try to act as if you genuinely care, but your concern is just damage control for your guilt.
Your guilt will eventually fade, and your resentments will return.
But I am already gone.
-gws
Just for today, I will be the someone who makes me happy. -gws
A poem for my father
If I speak to the river, will it hear me? If I listen to the river, will I hear you? Do you now know why the sockeye fight so hard? Do you run free against the current with them? Have they shown you what home feels like? Perhaps you already knew The river always speaking to your soul Ever willing to sweep away your demons I wonder what your favorite river is I wonder how beautiful your heaven must be I hope that your traumas from this life are Faded and indistinct in their mark upon you I hope you smile as you enjoy your river I hope the river whispers reminders of your Worthiness and reminds you that you are Deeply loved and deeply missed in this world Thank you for leaving your poetry Your appreciation of nature and rivers And your love of the beauty in the world So that I can know a little of your spirit -gws
A poem for my paternal aunt
You were a fairy tale A daydream A character in a bedtime story You were the fairy godmother in the mythology of my creation The accessible connection to the family I wanted to know And like a fairy tale You materialized into my life on a an ordinary day Bringing stories, love, and family I never expected to experience I could not imagine that my heart could hold all that you brought with you And yet it does As you fill in the blank pages of my storybook With the missing magic words that make me a whole person -gws
The time has come to leave the stage The play is done And its run complete The houselights are up And the audience has departed Douse the footlights And extinguish the spot It's time to remove our costumes And our makeup As we are players no more And yet we linger upon the stage Yearning for one more act One more scene So that we can linger in an illusion Of happily endings - gws
Voices rose in sharp keening The dry grass caught And the world began to burn Ancestors' voices whispered in their ears As they focused their rage into a reckoning -gws
To the pantheon of storytellers You are my inspiration My kindred tribe Your vulnerability, beautiful Your truth-telling, freeing Your honesty, a gift It is from your courage and example Your experience, strength and hope I draw bravery to open my own heart And tell my story -gws
Men can spread themselves like weeds in a wind storm and women must endure the consequences -gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 