It's easy for me to imagine how you might be rolling through all kinds of emotions. I'll hold space for you. I'll sit with you in the quiet of your storms. I'll be your safety whether you're overwhelmed or just contemplative. I've sat with you through hard things before, and I will do it again. -gws
You ask what can you do Nothing You can do nothing How can you offer what you do not have How can you heal what you cannot perceive How can you give comfort I speak with ghosts as you lay next to me So I can remember what it feels like to be seen To be understood in a way you are incapable of I don't know if you will ever be capable of learning to love me In all of the deeply intricate ways that I need Not If you can't learn to see me for who and what I actually am -gws
I don't get to run from pain It finds me It circles like a wolf pack around wounded prey I drop to my knees Paralyzed and desperate for breath Silent screams dying on my swollen lips Tear tracks on my cheeks like tattoos There's not enough rage to power a comeback I've always gotten back up But when is enough fight enough When do I get to catch a break Death by a thousand cuts is agony Maybe I just need to lay face down in the mud And let it drown me I'm too tired to take another hit -gws
These Hollywood nights are long
The city filled with thousands of souls
All of us together yet alone
The green and white neon outside my window burns intrusively bright
Adding to my restlessness in an unforgiving summer heat
I imagine this is what Hell feels like
All sweat, restlessness, longing, and need
The fan whirls and clicks in the corner of the room
Impotent in its efforts to bring relief
I stare at soot-stained walls remembering
You are mine and I am yours
Though we are neither
You haunt my dreams
The smell of you
The taste of you
The dancing electricity of your skin against mine
The spark of us igniting together
I submerge into the memory of us
Distracting myself from the oppression of a city that welcomes no one
I see your silhouette leaning over me when I close my eyes
I feel the softness of your lips and the heat of your breath
I shiver as goosebumps rise on my too hot skin
I can almost feel your hands on my body
And the ghost of your lust-heavy voice whispering in my ear
I let out an inaudible gasp as rivulets of sweat run races along my throat
Reminding me of your fingertips
Sirens suddenly erupt from the street
The walls now the stage for the dance of red and blue strobes
Reality returns with its harsh shadows and sharp light
Razor-edged voices rise up from the sidewalk
Flavoring the oppressive night with desperation and power struggles
I take a drag off my joint in an attempt to increase the space between me and the world
I hold the smoke in my lungs for as long as I can
Praying that when I release it that I can float away from this existence with it
Back to the place where you held me close in a cool, comforting illusion of love
-gws
When you find water in the desert, who will blame you for taking a drink? -gws
Holding space is a sacred practice It is the ultimate act of presence Holding space is like drawing a circle of protection It feels like sitting beneath a bright sky on a warm afternoon in earl fall It feels like opening your arms wide as if you could embrace all of Creation It feels like sitting by a bedside in deep prayer Holding space is allowing room for feelings to flow freely without concerns for time Or worries of judgement, puzzling out solutions, or providing traditional comfort Holding space is not about fixing anyone or anything It is about allowing what is to just be as it needs to be It is about allowing a soul to just be as it needs to be For as long as needed It is about honoring the process It is about walking along someone in silent vigil as they navigate their journey Sometimes that is just for a moment Sometimes that is for a gauntlet Holding space is saying that my heart beats with yours for as long as you have need Without expectation Without demand Holding space is bearing witness with love, respect and grace -gws
That moment when you’re in freefall, just before you hit the ground to shatter apart into bitter shards of disappointment.
-gws
strength isn’t about being strong.
It’s about being vulnerable.
-gws
If wishes were grains of sand I'd own beach front property If hopes were shooting stars Every night would be the Perseids If dreams were glitter I'd be a drag queen on a Saturday night If fairy tales were real True love's kiss would have delivered me from my waking trials But I do not live at the beach Or sleep below a light-streaked sky I do not glitter on a stage And there is no magical happy ever after I, instead, walk moment to moment Doing my best to keep my feet I rub weariness from my eyes And sadness from my heart And despite myself, I continue to wish and hope and dream Because my dreamer's heart is more stubborn than my jaded mind -gws
I am a complicated thing
I am metaphor and simile
I am strings of carefully chosen adjectives
I am freeform and feelings
I am lyrical pauses and dramatic imagery
I am deep truth and sharp honesty
I am unapologetic wit
I am rage and grace
I am vulnerability spot lit
I am raw and unpolished
I am real
I am a writer
I am a poem
-gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 