I used to try to force my day to unfold according to my will.
Now, I try to allow the will of the day to unfold me.
-gws
Unfolding
Tag: Prompted
To Thine Own Self Be True
This above all
To thine own self be true
But damn
Is that a hard thing to do
I want to hold
To my own principles
To set firm my jaw
And without a pause
Hold firm the ground
I'm planted upon
But when I say no
You refuse to move on
Turning my insides
Upside and down
Knitting my eyebrows
And causing a frown
Why is honoring me
Such an ask
It's not like I'm begging
Some outrageous task
I'm asking for only
Mutual respect
Yet you recoil
As if you were decked
Leaving me feeling
Like I've caused you harm
While my heart is rattling
My chest in alarm
Now I'm a monster
For making my needs
A priority which
Leaves you aggrieved
One day soon
I will disavow
Ownership of
What's forced on me now
I will figure out how
To my own self be true
And with peace in my heart
I will leave you
-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
How Poems Are Like Orgasms
Poems begin with desire
Deep and persistent
Feverish and demanding
They demand attention
Needful hungry things
Finicky in how they want to be handled
Not touched by just any words
They must be the RIGHT words
Poems demand intimate connection
Crave it
Require it
They require time to build
A sacred dance between poet and pen
The stimulation of mind and soul
Identification and reflection of the human experience
Poems must touch the most intimate parts of us
Where human and universe converge
Grasping and pulling feelings to the surface
Until the soul explodes in prismatic truths
Leaving the skin erupted in goosebumps
Pupils dilated and breath quickened
The soul's hunger satisfied
Poems demand nothing less
-gws
Unlearn
I need to unlearn your touch
The sound of your breathing
Next to me in the dark
I need to unlearn a lifetime
Of everything about you
-gws
This is the Poem I’ll Never Write
Holding hands in matching rockers
Laughing about when we were young
You reminiscing about record stores and ska shows
As I tell our grandchildren tales of magic
Spending our sunset days in loving conversations
Each other's best bestie
Strolling into the ever after that follows the happily
-gws
How to Eat a Rainbow
Glittering seeds that sparkle in winter
Much like a geode cracked open
Textured spheres like palm-sized suns
Perfume the grove with citrus tang
Oblong bunches entice with
promises of creamy, tropical sweetness
Tart, crisp heralds of autumn
Ready to move from bushel to Thanksgiving pie
Baskets of chewable night-sky pearls
Fresh from bush to muffin tin
Plump globes hang heavy on the vine in the tea-colored afternoon sun
Destined for bottle, jar, or a snack popped between a lover’s lips
-gws
Box of Postcards
I wrote you a box of postcards
I never sent
I could not set the stamp
In place
I could not address it
To that space
you weren't there anyway
You never really were
-gws
Patience
Patience is hard
Growing
Becoming
Evolving
All require patience
In a world where instant gratification
Rewards us at the tap of a button
Practicing patience can feel like torture
Patience demands of us
To stay tethered to this moment
Preventing any full escape into distraction
Being present is trying
It feels hard
Abrasive
Affronting
We are uncomfortable
Patience requires us to
Embrace the discomfort
That often comes from
Being wholly present
Patience presents the opportunity
To practice experiencing the now
To practice being curious
About our being
About our feelings
So that we may learn
To know ourselves better
So that we may learn to be
More comfortable
In our own skin
In our own spirit
In our own life
-gws
Tell No One
Tell no one your deepest dreams
Those valuable things
That manifest in the heart's nebula
The burning factory of creation
Tucked securely in your soul
They are precious treasures
Composed of ether and moonlight
Not fit for just anyone's consumption
-gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 