My Own Happy

Just for today, I will be the someone who makes me happy.

-gws

Your River

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

Fairy Tale

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 Show is Over

Photo by Maria Ovchinnikova on Pexels.com

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

Reckoning

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

Storytellers

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

You are a Storm

You said I was your rock
But rocks succumb
To weather and water
And you are a storm
-gws

Still Raging and Wild

"You are kind and show such grace."
Thanks, but my self control does not erase
That I'll still punch you in the face

I practice gratitude
To alter my attitude
And manage the triggers that ruin my mood

So just because I choose to invoke
A gag order upon my own throat
Know that I am no joke

You will find my manner is mild
But don't get it twisted, Child
I am still raging and wild

-gws

Roller Coaster Healing

It is said healing is not linear.  My healing journey must be the most intense roller coaster ever constructed.
-gws

Love Spells

Beware love spells.
Beware the wanting.
Beware the asking.
You may get more than you bargained for.

-gws