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
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
Where I end is not where you begin
It's where the space between us lives
The space where we both can stretch and breathe as individuals
It's the space where my dreams manifest
The space where my thoughts untangle
The space where my mind gives birth to the words manifested as my heart beats
This is a sacred space for me
My moat
My wall
My well worn path in front of my garden gate
Where I end is not where you begin
It is the absence which makes the heart grow fonder
The place where longing pushes up blooms of desire
It is the ocean between our continents with endless depths to explore and mysteries to discover
It is the chapter break between each new story we write
It is the fence that protects us from each others' demons
It is the tower spire where we can see each others' kingdoms
It is the bridge over the pond whose shores we share
Where I end is not where you begin
It is the picnic blanket we sit on beneath oak branches on an early autumn day
The breeze dancing between words read aloud under an azure sky to a soundtrack of busy bees
It is the place where we stand eye to eye
It is the place my voice crosses to reach your ears and yours crosses to reach mine
It is the space where the music plays that we dance to
It is a precious space that hosts the alchemy which manifests where our boundaries touch
It is the breath
The heartbeat
The sigh
The birthplace of connection
The space where I end is not where you being
It is the holy place held by two individuals to nourish one partnership
If it is smothered, it's bounty cannot grow
And the relationship will whither and die from lack of air and light
Hold the space
Honor the space
Tend your boarders and I will tend mine
And we might just produce something prismatic and beautiful
In the space between you and me
-gws
Your birthday has arrived again An honored remembrance of the day When your spirit debuted into the world In a sacred vessel made of water and earth A joyous day, indeed Your value is beyond measure Your insight has no equal You cast no shadow upon the ground For you are a source of light Full of humor and mischief Love and compassion There is no one else like you And let it be known how honored I am To call you, Friend -gws
It feels so good to be seen To be treated as valuable To be appreciated It is nice to sit in the warmth of that familiar, afternoon sunshine To laugh To speak To be heard by an open heart To be cared about Even if it is just for a breath For in that breath is all the oxygen I need to keep going a little longer -gws
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
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 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
You said I was your rock But rocks succumb To weather and water And you are a storm -gws
I used to write for you Now I only write about you You do not have the patience Or maybe the capacity for poetry -gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 