By trusting my gut
I am trusting both
my god
and
myself
-gws
Always Trust Your Gut
Category: Being Human
Never, Not Ever
Oh, my tiny heart
My darling child
Never, not ever
Will there be a time
That I will not love you
You, whose heart beat beneath mine
You, whose tiny head rested on my chest
You, whose tiny hand disappeared within mine
Never, not ever
Will there be a time
That I will not love you
No matter how big your feelings
No matter how loud your rage
No matter how paralyzing your fears
Never, not ever
Will there be a time
That I will not love you
When you find yourself in trouble
Or if we disagree
Or we get angry with each other
Never, not ever
Will there be a time
That I will not love you
-gws
The Next Right Choice
All we can do is make the next right choice
Sometimes, that choice is easy
Sometimes it is the hardest thing you can do
What do you do when you get to the end of the map
Where do you go when you can’t go back
And forward is so uncertain
You know there is something beyond
But you don’t know what it looks like
How hard it’s going to be
Because there’s no way it can be easy
The unknown is rarely easy
-gws
Rage
Rage is dark rust red like clotted blood
Balled fists and hot tears
White hot like molten iron
Sharp and vicious as a cooled blade
Shrill keening and worn out sobs
Forged into quiet, constantly simmering fury
Long, silent, anguished screams into pillows
And inside lonely vehicles at 60 miles per hour
With the music turned up loud to drown out the ragged
Sound shaking free of its mooring
Now a million dancing embers
Just waiting for the right bluster to ignite again
-gws
Space Between
Do I exist in the space between your thoughts
Am I squeezed in as an annotation to your chaos
Do I fit in the emptiness between your heartbeats
Or the space between your breaths
Am I shoved into the shadowed alcoves of your mind
All I know is it’s dark and apocalyptic here
Where ever here is
-gws
Silenced
Words stolen from my throat before my mouth gives them shape and purpose
Volumptous thoughts sucked dry of all of their sweet volume like withered grapes on the vine
Black storm clouds ripple my calm waters, sending me reeling with frustration
Being asked to be less
Say less
Need less
Take less space
I am twisted, muted, and bound inside myself
Trying to survive loving you
With your barbed wire, landmines, arrows, blades, and poisons
Maybe one day you’ll stop listening to your own voice long enough to hear mine
Or all you will hear is the silence that signifies my absence
-gws
Wildness
Run unabashed though the tall grass
The wind tossing your wild hair in all directions
And brambles tearing at your hems
Laugh from deep in your belly
With your mouth wide open
And your head thrown back
Let starlight be the catchlights of your eyes
While the moon kisses your skin with dew
And soft, turned soil the carpet under your feet
Rage like a bolt of lightening from a black sky
And let your fury be quenched in the soft, summer rain of your tears
Love so deeply and completely that fingerprints are left on your soul
Dance to the drumbeat of your heart
Sing the song you have been carrying within you your whole life
And don’t give a single damn who hears you
Write your story with its angsty-teen-superhero, rom-com, horror film moments,
Coming of ages and chapter endings
Paint your canvas in all the vivid colors of your joy
And all of the pastels of your sorrows
Close your eyes and hum your gratitude for being who you are
And exactly who you are supposed to be
-gws
I Statements
An “I-statement” focuses on your own feelings and experiences. It does not focus on your perspective of what the other person has done or failed to do.
Office of the Boston University Ombuds
I am human
- a woman
- a daughter
- a wife
- a mother
- a lover
- a caregiver
- a nurturer
- a provider
I am exhausted
- hurt
- angry
- uncomfortable
- scared
- doing my best
I have a right to say no
- to dislike something
- to ask for what I want or need
- to not be diminished or dismissed
- to not be belittled
- to rest when I need to
- to prioritize myself
- to have and respectfully express my own feelings out loud
- to no be held accountable for offenses committed by others
I am not harming others when I am being my authentic self
- not diminishing others when I speak my truth
- not taking from others when I give to myself
- not dishonoring others when I honor myself
I am an ally not an enemy
- a partner not a villain
- a friend not a foe
- a person not an emotional punching bag
I do not want to be a vessel for holding pain that is not my own
- a stand-in or effigy
- punished for past wrongs
- held responsible for things I didn’t actually do
I need to be treated respectfully
- spoken to respectfully
- listened to respectfully
- touched respectfully
- seen as I am, and not as I’m imagined to be
-gws
May I meet today…
May I meet today with grace.
May I treat myself with love and patience.
May I feel with certainty that I am enough this day and everyday.
-gws
When I Feel Small
When I feel small and vulnerable, I turn to that which is wondrous and vast, and remember I am Her daughter and in Her care.
-gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 