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
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
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
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
"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
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
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
Words Wishes and Wisdom 