What a glorious idea
What an inspired place
How great it is to have a place that is full of art so bad that it becomes collectively good
I imagine this is where all prestigious macaroni art dwells
Where macrame goes to retire
I imagine walls covered in construction paper turkeys and Christmas trees made from hand shapes
Cases of scout lanyards
Shelves covered in lopsided ceramics
And so many Bob Ross paint-along landscapes
I imagine pedestals exalting junkyard sculptures inspired by Degas
Portrait galleries more closely resembling the work of Dali and Picasso than might have been intended
What a wonderful concept to celebrate the underwhelming
The failed attempt
The work that only a parent could love (from the back of the closet)
Let the awkward and unwieldy
The uncomfortable and misunderstood
Be transformed into other people's treasure
-gws
Hunger chasm deep Engulfing and undenyable Awareness of heat and heartbeat Pulses pounding a compelling rhythm Skin seeking skin Lips seeking lips All sensation and want Shallow breaths Whispered gasps The spark ignites into a blaze Two souls surrender To flames of pleasure and need
Words take up room in my mouth
Coarse and bitter
Smooth and sweet
Complex and spicy
Allowing me to experience the complex flavors of
Emotion and experience
Desire and dreams
Hunger and horror
Sometimes voracious
Eager to be made manifest
Sometimes savored
Taking time to tumble onto the page
When the words combine just right
They produce seven course meals
Ready for the soul to consume
Every color, flavor, texture
Providing nourishment for the spirit
That only poetry can provide
- gws
Happy NaPoWriMo eve!
The rock stood stalwart over the sea
Strong
Silent
Resolute
Ever watching
Ever present
The sea praised the rock
Recognizing its reliability
Extolling its resilience
Of the rock's ability to weather the elements
Alongside the sea
But the rock wasn't resilient
The rock suffered
The rain mellowed the rock
Smoothing down its defined edges
At first the rock did not mind
Because aren't smoothed edges
A testament to its steadfast partnership with the sea
Showing proof of its loyalty
But water was also an insidious lover
The mist with the help of the wind found every crack
And forced its way deep within the stone
Expanding fissures and causing fractures
The rock without realizing lost itself to time
The relentlessness of water
Slowly broke down the rock
Until it one day crumbled into the sea
It was not mourned or missed
Its absence sparked no shadow of memory
For the sea still lapped and lashed and sprayed and claimed
All who sat upon its shore
One drop of salted water at a time
-gws
"It's Spring!" the little songbird sang,
excitement trilling in her voice.
"It is winter," groaned the sleepy sapling
whose roots were enshrouded in icy soil.
"But the sun is SO warm," whistled the songbird.
"Yes, but the ground is still SO cold," creaked the sapling
"Puff up, my small friend, and sleep with me a little longer.
When my buds start to sprout, we will both sing a song of
welcome for Spring."
So the songbird tucked up into a nook in the saplings branches
and together they hunkered down to wait for Spring to truly arrive.
-gws
Roses are red
Violets are blue
It's February
And we invite you
To write us a poem
A sonnet or song
Just let the words out
Doesn't have to take long
The topic is LOVE
Plutonic or true
Requited or star-crossed
The choice, up to you
There's only one rule
It must be PG
As this is a workplace
HR's made the plea
Be you wordsmith or comic
Just let it flow
We'll up-vote our favorites
So that way we'll know
The contest winner
By popular vote
So scribble it out
And post what your wrote
-gws
Everyday I watch you head to war
War with the demons in your mind
War with your family
War with strangers
War with me
Your war created my PTSD
Always triggered
You constantly strategize and scrimmage
Uncaring about collateral damage
Gleefully seeking maximum carnage
You roll in the mud of your resentments
Wearing them like war paint
Screaming with berserker rage
Craving vengeful satisfaction
Through blood lust and pain
Unaware your counting coo trophies
Leave you the monster of the story
The victim turned villain
Doomed in bitterness until the end
-gws
I hate that I can be so self-focused
So rude
I forget to say hello
I forget to ask about
Your children
Your health
Your work
Your spouse
Your fur babies
You
I often lose track of the polite things to say or do
When I am task-driven
I forget we are both human
I forget that our relationship
Is more important than my question
I do not commit these omissions purposefully
I get distracted by the illusion of urgency
So I beg your forgiveness
I plead for your patience
I promise to try harder
To prioritize connection
And make space for us
To see each other
-gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 