My body does not behave like yours
It does not look like yours
React like yours
Respond like yours
Hurt or heal like yours
It tolerates heat, touch, illness, medication differently than yours
This body is not yours
It is mine
It is my home
My vessel
My temple
It is my conveyance through this life
It is the only thing that is one hundred percent mine
And no pen or opinion of another being
Has a right to intervene in my agency over it
-gws
Goodbye skins
A purchase that should have never been
An excuse to see her
Spend time with her
A toy to placate her
How I hated those drums
With their telltale heart rhythm
Tapping quietly in the corner
You will not be missed
-gws
Your tiny face nestled against my skin
The alchemy of a soul newly ushered into the world
You made me a mom
You transfigured me
Transformed me into a new entity
Birthed me into a new identity
A newly purposed being
A mother
Your mother
Chosen by you to be the gateway to what and who you will become
What sacredness exists in being the vessel that transmutes the energy of a soul into flesh
I promise I will do my best
And I ask that you are patient with me in those times I am not my best
We will learn and grow together
Hand and hand
Heart and heart
-gws
I will be brave in the face of my fears
For scarier than failure is regret
I am no more guaranteed to fail than I am to succeed
It is the journey that will forge and shape my next self
And it is in knowing the result
Whatever it may be
That will allow me to travel from this life
With a smile upon my lips
And satisfaction in my heart
Because I was brave enough to try
-gws
The artist moon is calling
The one that makes the blood restless
And the mind discontent
The one that replaces sleep
With lightning storms of inspiration
The moon raises the spirit of dreams unrealized
And fantasies unlived
It whispers of wild woods and scented winds
Of primal needs and elaborate, lucid dreams
I am held captive in the moon's tides
Ebbing and flowing as I map my own constellations in its sky
And so my mind churns
My pen moves
Channeling the lightning into art
Painting the moon's energy with barely adequate words
In a desperate attempt to contain the results of its demanding influence
-gws
Yesterday I saw a friend for the first time in a long time. Although it hadn't been terribly long, a lot of life happened for both of us since I last saw them. We hugged each other fiercely, as if quenching a long neglected thirst. The power of the moment, the energy and emotion that flew across the room and into my unknowingly needful arms was surprisingly welcome. Everything stopped for a few heartbeats as we existed in the silent contentment of a deeply longed for and comforting embrace. They are kindred. Family. Precious to me in ways I have no need to explain. Being with them is like sipping sweet water for my soul. Time together is always precious and seems never long enough. I look forward to the next visit together.
-gws
Where did you go?
Are you warm?
Are you cold?
Is there weather there?
Where did you go?
Was it hard to get there?
Do you miss what you left behind?
Where did you go?
Were you scared to go?
Can you come back to visit?
Have you tried?
Do you miss me?
Where did you go
when you left me here to wonder?
Where did you go
when you escaped your failing prison on a single fragile breath?
Where did you go?
Because I want you to come back.
-gws