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I am a phoenix
White fire and quiet, contained power
Yet you mistake me for something common
I am elemental and fierce
I am intuitive and intelligent
I am calm and steadfast
Until ignited or inflamed
That is when all of my truth
All of my fearsomeness and fire
Blaze like a beacon in the night
Warning all who see me that
I am transformed into my divine self
Wings spread wide
Eyes blazing
Consuming all that stands in my way
I will always get back up
I will always rise again
Smarter
More experienced
Clearer-eyed
You may not see that I am a precious rarity
But I promise you that when I ascend
I will shine with divine light
And leave you cowering in total darkness
-gws
Oh Northwest Wind
Bring forth your breeze
And with your breath make summer ease
Oh Northwest Wind
Gift your crisp, biting air
That tells us Fall will soon come to bear
Oh Northwest Wind
Please do not tease
Instead, herald the changing of the leaves
Oh Northwest Wind
Return us our foggy blanket
So we may start dreaming of harvest banquets
Oh Northwest Wind
Please place kisses on our skin
So Summer knows its rule is at an end
Oh Northwest Wind
Time to dance through the pines
While we bundle in sweaters and sip rich wine
Oh Northwest Wind
Please bless us from above
So that we may give thanks with Autumnal love
-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
I don't get to run from pain
It finds me
It circles like a wolf pack around wounded prey
I drop to my knees
Paralyzed and desperate for breath
Silent screams dying on my swollen lips
Tear tracks on my cheeks like tattoos
There's not enough rage to power a comeback
I've always gotten back up
But when is enough fight enough
When do I get to catch a break
Death by a thousand cuts is agony
Maybe I just need to lay face down in the mud
And let it drown me
I'm too tired to take another hit
-gws
These Hollywood nights are long The city filled with thousands of souls All of us together yet alone The green and white neon outside my window burns intrusively bright Adding to my restlessness in an unforgiving summer heat I imagine this is what Hell feels like All sweat, restlessness, longing, and need The fan whirls and clicks in the corner of the room Impotent in its efforts to bring relief
I stare at soot-stained walls remembering You are mine and I am yours Though we are neither You haunt my dreams The smell of you The taste of you The dancing electricity of your skin against mine The spark of us igniting together I submerge into the memory of us Distracting myself from the oppression of a city that welcomes no one
I see your silhouette leaning over me when I close my eyes I feel the softness of your lips and the heat of your breath I shiver as goosebumps rise on my too hot skin I can almost feel your hands on my body And the ghost of your lust-heavy voice whispering in my ear I let out an inaudible gasp as rivulets of sweat run races along my throat Reminding me of your fingertips
Sirens suddenly erupt from the street The walls now the stage for the dance of red and blue strobes Reality returns with its harsh shadows and sharp light Razor-edged voices rise up from the sidewalk Flavoring the oppressive night with desperation and power struggles I take a drag off my joint in an attempt to increase the space between me and the world I hold the smoke in my lungs for as long as I can Praying that when I release it that I can float away from this existence with it Back to the place where you held me close in a cool, comforting illusion of love
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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
I am a complicated thing I am metaphor and simile I am strings of carefully chosen adjectives I am freeform and feelings I am lyrical pauses and dramatic imagery I am deep truth and sharp honesty I am unapologetic wit I am rage and grace I am vulnerability spot lit I am raw and unpolished I am real I am a writer I am a poem -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
Words Wishes and Wisdom 