Category: Evolution

To Thine Own Self Be True

Photo by Miriam Espacio on Pexels.com
This above all 
To thine own self be true
But damn
Is that a hard thing to do
I want to hold 
To my own principles
To set firm my jaw
And without a pause
Hold firm the ground
I'm planted upon
But when I say no
You refuse to move on
Turning my insides
Upside and down
Knitting my eyebrows
And causing a frown
Why is honoring me 
Such an ask
It's not like I'm begging
Some outrageous task
I'm asking for only
Mutual respect
Yet you recoil
As if you were decked 
Leaving me feeling
Like I've caused you harm
While my heart is rattling
My chest in alarm
Now I'm a monster
For making my needs
A priority which 
Leaves you aggrieved
One day soon 
I will disavow 
Ownership of 
What's forced on me now
I will figure out how
To my own self be true
And with peace in my heart
I will leave you

-gws


@wordswishesandwisdom

Happy NaPoWriMo! Here’s my Day 23 poem called To Thine Own Self Be True #poetry #wordsmithing #poem #writer #wordswishesandwisdom #poet #poetsoftiktok #poetryTok #NaPoWriMo #NaPoWriMo2024 #poetryreading

♬ original sound – GWS

Strong Alone

I read, “and in the end, all I learned was how to be strong alone.”

I disagree.

In the end, I have learned that living a kind and authentic life earns you connections with good people with big hearts who are willing to catch and hold you when you fall.

Strength cannot exist without vulnerability. You only have to be alone if you choose to shut the world out.

Be willing to be vulnerable.
Be willing to ask for help.
Be more willing to receive help.
Build a loving village.

You don’t have to be alone to be strong.
Being alone is a choice, not a consequence.

-gws
@wordswishesandwisdom

Happy NaPoWriMo! Here’s my Day 12 poem called Strong Alone #poetry #wordsmithing #poem #writer #wordswishesandwisdom #poet #poetsoftiktok #poetryTok #NaPoWriMo #NaPoWriMo2024 #poetryreading

♬ A Gentle Sunlight – James Quinn

Generational Trauma

Do onto others as you wish to be done onto
This is the call
Cast off the shackles of
Abuse
Neglect
Mistreatment 
Harm
The scars that mar your ancestors 
The scars that mar you
The greatest gift given in life
Free will 
Wield it like a craftsman 
Hold it like a pen and
Rewrite your story 
Erase the patterns from your pages
Show your children that you
Can reshape the stars in the sky
Show them how to heal in the light of the moon
And the bright beacon of day
No future is written in stone 
No fate inevitable 
Let it begin here
By deciding the pain of the past 
Ends here

-gws
@wordswishesandwisdom

Happy NaPoWriMo! Here’s my Day 5 poem called Generational Trauma. #poetry #wordsmithing #poem #writer #wordswishesandwisdom #poet #poetsoftiktok #poetryTok #NaPoWriMo #NaPoWriMo2024 #poetryreading

♬ Metamorphosis – David Clavijo

Patience

Photo by Jenny Uhling on Pexels.com
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

The Shedding of Skin

Today I chose to stay present
I chose to stay in sync with my breath
I chose to stay with the rhythm of my resting heartbeat

Today I chose to just listen
I chose to release my assumptions
I chose to keep my defenses sheathed

Today I chose to show up curious
I chose to leave my assumptions aside
I chose to suppress my desire to make judgements

Today I shed the skin of old behaviors
I chose to make conscious choices in the face of old fears
I chose to prove to myself that I can evolve

-gws