Unmade

I cannot be a human today
Let alone a woman
I am a raw exposed wound
Showered in salty
Reminders of the abuses 
We have already endured 
And I am unmade

-gws

Smoldering

I still hold the smallest flickering flame of hope
Smoldering painfully in my belly
I keep trying to stomp it out
Smother it
But it persists 
Despite the obvious futility of its existence
It will not listen to reason
Will not extinguish beneath showers of bitter tears
I must endure it
Ignore it
Until it gutters and dies on its own

-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

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

Stranger

Trying to figure out
who this version of me is

She feels like a stranger,
but I think I might end up
liking her

-gws

Ruins

You burned every bridge
then burnt your home to ashes

Now you wonder why you stand
naked and alone in the ruins

-gws

Secret

Can you keep a secret?
Lean in close to hear
I see the wonder that you are
Whenever you draw near

You light up every room
You always seem to glow
Your spirit is so full of love
And everybody knows

You are a wonder to behold
A notch above the rest
Keep being your authentic self
You are the fucking best

-gws

Church of Poetry

I find god more easily in a room full of poets on a Thursday night than I ever did in a church full of the righteous on a Sunday morning

-gws