Redwood

The enduring redwood is dead
Meant to withstand
Storm and fire and drought 
Heartwood rotted from within 
Disease and neglect 
Claimed their prize
A reminder that
Sometimes good things die

-gws

Snow

The world quiets beneath a blanket of white
Sounds are muffled 
Time slows
There is no hurry here
The landscape sleeps
Stillness, like a spell
Descends upon all things

My mind wanders about in this peace
Leaving no footprints in the snow
I am freed of my burdens
Allowed to drift like a shade
Below the frosted boughs
Delighting in the joy of winter’s slumber 

-gws

I Identify with Persephone

I identify with Persephone

I am a spring maiden at heart
Celebrating life’s sunshine and rainbows
A believer in growth and renewal
Optimistic and hopeful

I also hold a dread queen in my soul
Content to sit quietly in darkness
Observant and calculated
Unafraid of the shadows
Happy to don my crown
Glimmering with pomegranate seeds
The color of blood
To remind the foolish
I am not the one 

-gws

Thoughts on the Autumnal Equinox 2024

This brief, beautiful 
Preview of delightful Autumn 
With her crisp chilled nights
And gray-sky mornings
Will be brutally interrupted 
By Summer strolling 
Back onto the stage
Despite having taken her bow
For a sweaty encore 
That nobody wanted

-gws

Welcome Fall

Days grow shorter
Mornings and evenings delightfully chilled
Long afternoons warm, hazy, and tea-colored
Cool breezes dance from the sea into the valley
Making layered wardrobes a must this time of year

The world starts to quiet down
Though restlessly at first
Unwilling to relinquish summer's vitality
Harvest season half complete
The trees begin debuting their fall finery 
Resplendent in reds, golds, and browns
As purple hues return to sunset skies

The golden hour earns its name now
As the last dandelion seeds drift through dried grasses awash in glowing rays
Shadows deepen as homes reflect amber radiance in westward facing window panes
Preparing to welcome night's elongating visits earlier each day

The resting season is arriving
It carries with it ghostly tales told under cloud-filtered moonlight
Candlelight and story craft
Blankets, books, and honeyed tea
Soups, stews, and baked goods of all kinds
Air laden with aromatic spices and yeast

The world grows gradually quieter
Chirping crickets slow their masterpieces from allegro to adagio
Singing the world into a calmer pace before putting away their instruments 
Fall readies to welcome dreamers and philosophers
Writers and witches
All the laborers of the mind and spirit
Into its gentle comforting arms

-gws

I Smoked a Joint with the Moon

I smoked a joint with the moon
She insisted it would allow us to see the world's beauty better
As herbal clouds drifted lazily across her round face
She rambled dreamily about the midnight sea's endless dance with her voluptuous celestial body
Spoke stanzas of star songs
Sang of wild wolf hunts and their howling choruses
Described forest galleries full of freshly woven spider webs bejeweled with moon-dazzled dew
She waxed lyrical about the endless stream of hopes and prayers whispered to her
Giggled as she fondly recounted the numerous myths humans had crafted about her
I listened contentedly
Basking in her hazy light
My heavy-lidded eyes glistening half moons themselves
Safely ensconced in her keeping 

-gws

The Secrets of the Sea

Beneath her surface lies
Unfathomable truths
Jealousy guarded

Her roaring a warning
That what she takes
Will not be returned the same

All are tithes to the moon-drunk sea 
She takes all manner of tribute

Hopes
Dreams
Prayers
Secrets 
Grief
Gratitude 
Messages
Stone
Glass
Vessels
Bounty
Life

She is not picky

Transmuting all inside her churning depths
Into polished fragments to be left
As glittering pieces amongst the sand

Some emerge as treasure 
Others tragedy 
Everything transformed 

-gws

I Hurt Just the Same

I don't feel well today
Reverberating echos of broken dreams
Aching pervasive guilt
Persistent pointless hope
That will not stay snuffed out
Nothing is wrong
And I hurt just the same

I don't feel well today
The sun still rose in a misty pink sky
The flowers are blooming and busy with bees
Birds sing songs of spring awakening
Amongst the newly sprouted leaves
Nothing is wrong
And I hurt just the same

I don't feel well today
Warm afternoon sunlight dries tears
That slip from beneath my sunglasses
The world assaults my senses
Too loud, bright, fast
Nothing is wrong
And I hurt just the same

I don't feel well today
I am told that time heals
That I'm doing the right things
That I didn't cause it
I can't control or cure it
Nothing is wrong
And I hurt just the same

-gws

I Made Friends of Willow Trees

Curtains of branches and leaves cascade to the ground
Creating a sanctuary for childhood dreams beneath
The somber sway of weeping willows
Hides from common eyes the magical worlds they held for me
I made friends of willow trees
The trees of my childhood spoke to me
They greeted me every time I played in their park
There are less of them today 
But a few still stand
Providing mystical playgrounds for new children
I wave hello to those trees when I pass them by
Hoping they remember the little girl who loved them so well
And always will

-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