Ghost Story

The first time I saw a ghost
I was looking in a mirror
I didn't recognize
The eyes starting back at me

-gws

Bridges

Some bridges are better off burning
Leaving the past buried beneath ash and embers
Smoke drifting away from the devastation
Like fading memories

-gws

How to Woo a Poet

Crave deep and honest conversation
Sit with her
Like a blind man tracing her face
Run your curiosities
With careful deliberateness 
Across her mind
And allow her to do the same
Lean into the exchange
And let the world fall away
Spend the night in philosophical repose
So you may greet the dawn 
With your souls on fire
Make evenings like this a ritual
This will light a fire in her blood
This is how to woo a poet

-gws

Salt and Sage

In sacred prayer
I place myself in Her protection
Amongst a ring of salt and sage
To cleanse and clarify
Purify and protect
Grounding me to earth
Connecting me to sky

-gws

Rivers

I have cried rivers
To cleanse my heart
Of the goods and bads of you
In those waters
I finally see my own reflection
Haloed in sunlight
Instead of your shadow

-gws

Late Summer Afternoon

Warm lazy afternoons in late summer
Hazy and tea-colored at the golden hour
Dragonflies dancing through the tall grass
While crickets hum contentedly 
Air scented with summer earth
And hints of coming autumn rain
The world readying for sleep
Eagerly awaiting the slowing of things

-gws

Nothing to Prove

When the truth comes out
It's quiet
No pomp and circumstance
The truth has nothing to prove

-gws

Tell Your Story

Tell your story
Detail your plot twists
Describe how you penned your own ending
How you dreamt your next prolific chapter
You are proof that dragons can be slain
Villains can be outwitted
That the condemned can become the hero
Be the light that illuminates someone else’s
Pages through your inspiration
Show that soul their narrative can be altered
Show that soul their misery can become triumph
Because you have told them it can be done
Because you have shown them it was done

-gws

Tea

I wish to walk the rest of my life with dried lavender and rose petals beneath my feet

Sprigs of chamomile and orange blossoms tangled in my hair

And warm, tea-colored afternoons in my heart

-gws

Magical Me

My heart screamed,
“What about my hopes and dreams?
The magical things
That make me, me?”

-gws