Spring Awakening

Seasons are changing 
I’m surprised to find myself In
In a spring awakening 
Possibilities bloom
While dreams grow deep roots
-gws

I Loved Myself Plenty

I loved myself plenty
I spent so much energy on him
there was none left for me
But the echos of my knowing
The spark that was always the heart of who I am
Could not be extinguished 
No matter how hard he tried
And he raged against
My defiance to submission and subjugation
And when I could endure no more
I was done
I breathed my flame back to life
And I am once again its keeper
Ensuring it is fed and protected in any storm
I will not be dimmed or diminished again

Done

“I am done,” is the quietest, most power-filled sentence in a woman’s lexicon.

-gws

Significant Other

My significant other 
Is more other than significant now
I wish I felt better about this fact
I do not miss the now of him
I’m still in love with the then of him
When love knocks you can never know 
The beauty or horror in its entourage 
You believe love can conquer all
And learn that love is often not enough 
My significant other left
A significant mark on me
That is hardly insignificant 

-gws

The Next Chapter

And so comes the end of the heaviest chapter
The plot twisted dramatically 
In the hands of an unreliable narrator 
Linear time fractured
Slowed
Ran backward 
Perspectives shifted
Creating more confusion than clarity

Muted colors of nostalgia dull recollections 
Emotional sharpness blunted
The hollow ache of a long goodbye 
Completed with the deliberate placement 
Of an arch-ending period.

The next act begins with a page turn
“THE NEXT CHAPTER” written atop it

-gws

What I’m Thinking

What I'm thinking is:

This is hard shit.  
That sometimes grabbing that fact by the throat and screaming in its face is necessary from time to time.  
Sometimes sitting in the shadow of that truth is required when our spirits are tired and our hearts so broken.  
And when we're done, we rest.  We breathe.  And we rise and fight some more.  
Because we're mothers.

-gws

Harvesting

I plunge my hands
Into the dark soil
To harvest the fruits
Of gratitude into the light
It is practical work
Grounding work
Spiritual work
To nourish my soul
Drawing upon the root work 
Already deeply planted
I turn my face to the sun

-gws

My Story To Tell

Speaking one’s truth is an act 
Of rebellion
Of reclaiming 
Of liberation  
It is stepping into the light 
After living in the dark for too long
It is my story to tell
And I will tell it as part of my healing

-gws

Rotten

I am, now, trying to forgive myself for the choices I made while trying to survive
For staying long past the expiration date in a relationship that had long been toxic and rotten
I deserved bette

-gws

Broken Love

All of the anger
This hurt
This loss
This heartache 
Was once love

You handled it 
Roughly 
Carelessly 
Thoughtlessly 

You returned it to me
A broken toy
Remorseless
While crying insult
From my lack of gratitude 
At your “effort”

-gws