I need fire
Passion
Excitement
I need curiosity and
Deep conversations in dark corners
Long walks in nature in comfortable silence
I need art
And dance
And song
And philosophy
I need magic
And mystery
And unicorns
I need amazing dinners
Fancy cocktails
And whispered secrets over candlelit tables
I need rainy day cuddles
Pillow fights
And breakfasts in bed
I need blanket forts
And favorite movies with popcorn
And taking turns reading The Princess Bride out loud for the hundredth time
I need surprise ice cream breakfasts
Slow dancing in the kitchen
And long, involved conversations about our individual dreams
I need connection
Of mind
And of spirit
If you want to love me I need you to
See me
Hear me
Give me room to stretch, explore and grow
And you will be rewarded with experiencing the world
As the magical adventure I know it to be
-gws
You will never love me the way I love you
And that's ok
Because loving you makes me brighter
Loving you gives my words weight
And my dreams color
It's longing for you that I will avoid doing
It's hoping that one day you will love me back
That I cannot let my heart abide
It's not that you do not care
You care deeply
Devotedly
But it is not the same as love reciprocated
And I cannot conflate the two
Or I will drown in heartbreak of my own creation
Instead I sit in the the patch of warm sunlight that is your affection
Feeling content in being seen
Being heard
Being cared for
In ways few others do
I attach cellophane love notes to the walls of my beautiful prison
Declaring "I love you!" in invisible ink that you will never see
You will never love me the way I love you
But you love me nonetheless in your own way
And I will let that be enough
- gws
You ask what can you do
Nothing
You can do nothing
How can you offer what you do not have
How can you heal what you cannot perceive
How can you give comfort
I speak with ghosts as you lay next to me
So I can remember what it feels like to be seen
To be understood in a way you are incapable of
I don't know if you will ever be capable of learning to love me
In all of the deeply intricate ways that I need
Not If you can't learn to see me for who and what I actually am
-gws
Photo by Harry Cunningham @harry.digital on Pexels.com
Holding space is a sacred practice
It is the ultimate act of presence
Holding space is like drawing a circle of protection
It feels like sitting beneath a bright sky on a warm afternoon in earl fall
It feels like opening your arms wide as if you could embrace all of Creation
It feels like sitting by a bedside in deep prayer
Holding space is allowing room for feelings to flow freely without concerns for time
Or worries of judgement, puzzling out solutions, or providing traditional comfort
Holding space is not about fixing anyone or anything
It is about allowing what is to just be as it needs to be
It is about allowing a soul to just be as it needs to be
For as long as needed
It is about honoring the process
It is about walking along someone in silent vigil as they navigate their journey
Sometimes that is just for a moment
Sometimes that is for a gauntlet
Holding space is saying that my heart beats with yours for as long as you have need
Without expectation
Without demand
Holding space is bearing witness with love, respect and grace
-gws
Where I end is not where you begin It's where the space between us lives The space where we both can stretch and breathe as individuals It's the space where my dreams manifest The space where my thoughts untangle The space where my mind gives birth to the words manifested as my heart beats This is a sacred space for me My moat My wall My well worn path in front of my garden gate
Where I end is not where you begin It is the absence which makes the heart grow fonder The place where longing pushes up blooms of desire It is the ocean between our continents with endless depths to explore and mysteries to discover It is the chapter break between each new story we write It is the fence that protects us from each others' demons It is the tower spire where we can see each others' kingdoms It is the bridge over the pond whose shores we share
Where I end is not where you begin It is the picnic blanket we sit on beneath oak branches on an early autumn day The breeze dancing between words read aloud under an azure sky to a soundtrack of busy bees It is the place where we stand eye to eye It is the place my voice crosses to reach your ears and yours crosses to reach mine It is the space where the music plays that we dance to It is a precious space that hosts the alchemy which manifests where our boundaries touch It is the breath The heartbeat The sigh The birthplace of connection
The space where I end is not where you being It is the holy place held by two individuals to nourish one partnership If it is smothered, it's bounty cannot grow And the relationship will whither and die from lack of air and light Hold the space Honor the space Tend your boarders and I will tend mine And we might just produce something prismatic and beautiful In the space between you and me
Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com
Your birthday has arrived again
An honored remembrance of the day
When your spirit debuted into the world
In a sacred vessel made of water and earth
A joyous day, indeed
Your value is beyond measure
Your insight has no equal
You cast no shadow upon the ground
For you are a source of light
Full of humor and mischief
Love and compassion
There is no one else like you
And let it be known how honored I am
To call you, Friend
-gws
How do I turn down the pain? How do I stop the loop that repeatedly plays your violent words that pierced my soul? How do we recover from the bomb you threw at our feet so you could feel… Better? Superior? Right? I bled out from the wounds you gave me. I died in front of you, and you didn’t even notice. Worse, you didn’t care. I have returned as a ghost, broken and haunted by unfinished business. You try to act as if you genuinely care, but your concern is just damage control for your guilt. Your guilt will eventually fade, and your resentments will return. But I am already gone.
You were a fairy tale
A daydream
A character in a bedtime story
You were the fairy godmother in the mythology of my creation
The accessible connection to the family I wanted to know
And like a fairy tale
You materialized into my life on a an ordinary day
Bringing stories, love, and family I never expected to experience
I could not imagine that my heart could hold all that you brought with you
And yet it does
As you fill in the blank pages of my storybook
With the missing magic words that make me a whole person
-gws
The time has come to leave the stage
The play is done
And its run complete
The houselights are up
And the audience has departed
Douse the footlights
And extinguish the spot
It's time to remove our costumes
And our makeup
As we are players no more
And yet we linger upon the stage
Yearning for one more act
One more scene
So that we can linger in an illusion
Of happily endings
- gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 