Grief

Grief smothers
It slows minutes to seconds
Linear experience is arrested
And time becomes one, disconnected moment
Followed by another disconnected moment
Like a damaged film reel
Jumping from one stepping stone to the next
Each leap a gaping chasm
Light too bright
Sound too loud
Words have no meaning
Colors leeched of their vibrance
The body feels both weighted down and untethered
Feelings resonate acutely beneath numbness
Does life still make sense when it feels senseless?
Is it possible to live when one cannot seem to draw breath?
Grief feels like drowning
Tumultuous and savage
Full of ache, helplessness, desperation
Roiling and hollow
Swinging like a pendulum from feeling too much
To nothing at all

-gws

Joy of Destruction

Born deep inside of me
A glowing ember begging to ignite
To storm, snap, and snarl
A crimson shadow sharpening its claws
Scarlet eyes stalking opportunity
A monster lurking just below restraint
Whispering dark pleas for release
Begging for me to drop its chains
So its primal fires can erupt
And burn down the world
Howling triumphantly at the joy of destruction

-gws

Hungry

Hunger chasm deep
Engulfing and undenyable
Awareness of heat and heartbeat
Pulses pounding a compelling rhythm
Skin seeking skin
Lips seeking lips
All sensation and want
Shallow breaths
Whispered gasps
The spark ignites into a blaze
Two souls surrender
To flames of pleasure and need

-gws

Rain Mellowed the Rock

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

Practice

If you were to leave right now
I'd be just fine
I already know how to survive without you
You have provided me with years of practice

-gws

One Night

One night
The stars whispered your name
They outlined your image in their sky
And I fell

-gws

He Loved Her Quietly

He loved her quietly
Though his eyes shouted it to the stars

-gws

Good Morning

A little storm cloud wanted to be painted in the colors of dawn and so it stood in the sunlight, basking in joy.
-gws

(photo by me taken while waiting to grab my to-go coffee this morning.)

Mood

I am in a mood
A place
A space
Where I have no desire
To live with grace
Where rage itches
Beneath my skin
And I do not wish
To let anyone in
I want to bare my teeth
To growl
To snarl
I'm desperately trying
To hold it back
I know no easy remedy
No salve to soothe
The volatility in my soul
Trying to break me
To break loose onto the world

-gws

Solstice Blessing 2022

May your hearth glow bright and warm as the sun deities slumber.  
May your threshold be welcoming and your table full.  
May you dream deeply of abundance, joy, love, and laughter.  
May the stillness of nature restore your ability to hear your heart song.  
Rest well and know that, soon, the sun returns!  
Blessed Solstice! 
- gws