I am not the author of your story As much as that saddens me to admit You are the wordsmith of your tale You write yourself as the hero of your own journey Despite being so often the villain of mine But understanding how you see your world Understanding that you can be none other Than the hero of your pages Helps me gain perspective into why You write me as the arch-villain of your narrative
There is no mirror in your story You cannot see yourself And as if bespelled You see only monsters and Enemies in every shadow My pages would describe the cause As a self-afflicted curse Yours would imply the question Are villains born or made? For you would say you are The result of what others made you Be you hero or villain You are forever alone Shadowboxing every perceived threat And drawing blood from everyone Who gets too close for too long Blinded by pain and unable to See that the one causing The most pain for you is you Like a manifested destiny It becomes so
As our books sit side by side on the shelf Yours a story of never ending rage, war, and loss Mine becomes a story of surrender, retreat, and release For I am removing myself from your story It is time to make myself the hero of my own And write the closing of this chapter For I can feel the peace and love I deserve Waiting for me in the next chapters of my life I am ready to transform my story Into the self-love story I have long deserved I hope you find your happy ending I write a magic wish for that Into my final paragraph Of our chapter in my book Then turn the page to my tabula rasa Full of potential and possibilities And the freedom to write my future As rich and joyful as I can imagine it
Words have power They are thoughts made manifest And loosed into the world
They are fragile crepe paper ghosts Spoken softly to breathe thoughts to life
They are shining lights Spoken with bold love and given as gifts
They are a clarion bell call Spoken with volume, power, and purpose
They are truth and belief And love made real
Words have power They are thought made manifest And loosed into the world
They are knife edges Spoken to cut the soul
They are blunt force Spoken to crush and wind
They are daggers Spoken to pierce the heart
They are lashing whips Spoken to welt and sting and scar
They are hurt and anger And resentment made real
Words have power They are thought made manifest And loosed into the world
Beware how you manifest your Intentions into the world The heat of passionate anger Can turn language into fists that leave bruises That cannot be seen and may never heal
Beware how you manifest your Intentions into the world Regret is a bitter friend For what is said cannot be unsaid or unheard
Beware how you manifest your Intentions into the world Think before you speak and Hold your tongue until you possess A calmer mind and kinder words
Words have power They are thought made manifest And loosed into the world
Forty-eight orbits of the sun Forty-eight birthdays celebrated Some happy Some not This morning I turned my face To golden, gossamer sunlight Filtered through cool, blue fog I was showered in love notes Sung to and hugged by my children My pockets may be empty But my heart can't be much fuller
This is my season The season Persephone returns to the underworld To take up her night-sky crown A season where darkness rules And pomegranate seeds glisten Like ruby drops of blood Across a dark and mossy earth A season where candlelight entwines with shadow And long nights lay steeped in vivid dreaming
In this season I embrace my own darkness Unafraid of the cold and the quiet For this is where magic lives Where the mythical and mystical thrive Weaving spells amongst the silence I remember my power just like Persephone For this is a season where the resolute thrive
I submerge into my own deep waters My dark reflection staring back at me As I descend into my true self Into the rejuvenation that exists At the heart of midnight I greet each version of myself Forgiving myself for every unkindness Every neglectful moment In this stillness where I am Safe and whole inside my power For this is the season I return to self Where I remember who I am A daughter of darkness and fire
I have entered my season of truth The veil of delusion Illusion Deliberate ignorance Is being peeled away It is not an ugly truth I find below the surface But a blinding Shining truth One that offers a promise Of deliverance from a Self-imposed bondage And offers a path To a beautiful new freedom
If I was a tarot card
The Knight of Swords it would be
Even my name, Gladys
Is reminiscent of the gladius blade
The knight and I are of quick wit
Sharp tongue
And posses a low tolerance for stupidity
We have something to say
And you must listen now or miss it
To your own detriment
The truth is our shield
Logic our blade
We understand the time is now
And no one and nothing will
Stop our message
Some may think us
Too blunt
Too cutting
Too opinionated
Too unfeeling
But that is because they do not
Understand the urgency
Carpe Diem my friends
The day is yours to lose
The opportunity of now
Will not return again
-gws
What is No longer serves me I glance back over my shoulder Setting this place and time Into my memory to honor The weight of this moment This chapter has ended Though I may be the only One who knows it I shoulder my bag With deliberate movements And a deep sigh It’s time to find out To discover To move on and move forward With a step I let go of what was And turn toward a path I know Will be paved with the opportunity For enlightenment and discovery
VI of Stones (6 of Swords) – The Dark Crystal Tarot
The long night arrives at dawn
How long was I in the darkness
My escape is almost complete
The journey from my hardships
Nearly done
A better life awaits
On the horizon
-gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 