LOVE in Capital Letters – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 13 Comments

“Human awe is an endangered species. Do not let your astonishment go extinct. Go wild for the wildness of your being.” – Andrea Gibson


how many days can you claim
bold aliveness

kindergarten eagerness
ignited intentions

bright contagiousness of
shared lifting

sky-filled unerasable strokes 
readable by all

baring yourself beautiful

with each word from your mouth
skinny-dipping freedom

because words of love
deserve all capitals
sing unification

undeniable

© Ali Grimshaw 2023

Photo taken in Portland, Oregon on my hike of "appreciation the flowering trees" this past weekend. They remind me to love big. I hope they inspire you to reach out to someone you have been missing.

My light is shining – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 12 Comments

A big thank you to editor Barbara Leonhard for publishing my poem, Words For Sale. This poem considers the value of poetry and the possibilities that a poem can offer. I invite you to visit MasticadoresUsa to read the poem, enjoy the poetry of others, and share your thoughts.

Thank you to all the readers that help keep poetry alive.

How Many Boxes Lie Inside of You? – Poem By Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 44 Comments 

Within my rooted being lies a box of green
when the world becomes too loud for living
I retreat to this sanctuary of survival 
lined with dewy moss to quench and revive.

Within my rooted being lies a box of yellow
when heart is crushed by grief, weary from war
I find my way to this room of sunshine warm
with light to feel my pain, begin again.

Within my rooted being lies a box of clarity
when my feet have forgotten the feel of freedom
when my head spins in dismay
I hold my heart in both hands, ask for help
believing love is on the way. 

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join a welcoming group of poets at 
dVerse Poets' Pub for this freeverse 
box challenge - HERE.

Photo taken on a Oregon forest path.

Have You Been Hooked? – Poem By Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 13 Comments 


He is a crafty one
who can lull you into forgetting

like a hypnotist, he waves headlines
his pocket watch of daily disasters

"Be afraid, be very afraid,"

while waiting for your heart to go cold,
enter a hibernation of hate.

Yet, Mr. Fear underestimates 
the determination 
of your being to love.

You fight for the sunlight in others.

Shock arises on his face 
when you stand up to hug him.

He will never be the same again.

© Ali Grimshaw 2024




Poems from the Circle – It is not just…

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 12 Comments

Within the writing circle, I use poems as prompts. Each person is invited to let their words fall onto the page. During a recent gathering, we wrote from Kim Russell’s poem, Just Saying. It was the perfect poem to jump from. Thank you, Kim.

In celebration of two people who recently tried the writing circle for the first time I am sharing their poems. It takes courage to share your voice and hear it reflected back to you. Thank you to Tandy and Frannie.

It’s not just a thought.
It’s the feelings and hope of a new tomorrow.
It’s not just a dream.
It’s the past remembered, re-created, and processed
to form the future.
It’s not just a memory
it’s all the memories that come together from the depth
of the soul and leave a mark on the world.
It’s not just me. It’s everyone who has come
before me and everyone who will come after to continue the circle.

By Tandy Wolf

It is not just a memory
it is the past awaking in the mind
time long and short ago sorted and squished
into shapes and colors and whispers
to ignite present feelings.

It is not just bird songs
but wafts of melodious sounds
carried on a spring breeze
swirling and drifting into a grateful consciousness.

By Frannie Brindle

Make A Moment To Remember – Poem By Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 44 Comments 

When did your heart get trampled by disbelief 
forgotten in rushing reactivity
pushed aside by survival?

Are you willing to let it be revived?

You don't need to decide today.

I will take you with me, barefooted
brave and heartskipping.

Let's find a butterfly to wonder about.
Then later I can remember it with you
in the pictures of my mind.

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join a welcoming group of poets
for Open Link Night HERE at
dVerse Poets' Pub. 

Photo taken at Tuscon Botanical Gardens. They have an delightful butterfly exhibit. When was the last time you hung out with butterflies?

Wintertide – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 32 Comments 


In winter's grasp, we linger, longing for spring's embrace.
Does the waiting make arrival all the more precious?
A glowing light across the street reminds me of companionship.
Within these cold days gathering, we are the light for each other.
Together is our way forward toward blooming.

Often wintertide darkness can seem a season too long.
I cradle reminders of past flowers, new growth of green
wrapped in warm memories of meandering meadows wide.
While frost edges my windows in delicate design.
In winter's grasp, we linger, longing for spring's embrace.

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

dVerse Poets’ Pub Open Link Night. Join a friendly group of poets, HERE.

A Kick Start For Winter Days – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 33 Comments 
plan for magic
then just begin

after all
aliveness is in the happening

(adventure cannot find you on the couch)

choose a cloud to follow
out the back door

let the sky touch your face
welcome all reflections

look until you find the
beautiful

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join a welcoming group of poets
for Quadrille Monday at 
dVerse Poets' Pub - HERE
Write a 44 word poem inspired by touch.

Along the Path of Daily Breathing – poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 26 Comments

“Because the heart dwells in unattended dark, we often forget its sublime sensitivity to everything that is happening to us. Without our ever noticing, the heart absorbs the joy of things and also their pain and care. Within us, therefore, a burdening can accrue. For this reason, it is wise now and again to tune in to your heart and listen for what it carries.

– Let Your Heart Speak, John O’Donohue

along the path of daily breathing
to hear my heart’s needs
saturation of all to be felt

(all muscles need rest to continue lifting)

I sit inside a song of silence
listening for imaginings of the heart
possibilities of becoming

dreams beyond my thinking

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Quadrille Monday – Imagine at dVerse Poets’ Pub. Join in the fun HERE.

A Beautiful Noticing – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 25 Comments

Precious is the quiet morning when I sit to breathe, just breathe. The highway hum in the distance, accompanied by a faint unknown rumble, and the caws of a bird, are heard in this stillness. How often does the environment around me go unnoticed as I am going about my day? The box of my mind has me doing and going. The senses of my body are left behind. Every time I stop, and return to my breath throughout the day, I return to a conscious noticing. It is then that I return to my body. My arms, my legs, my heart, and my mind are one again. There is a relief in just breathing.

When I first tried meditation is was unaccessible. Stillness did not feel safe. Letting go was scary. I lived in protection mode and this surrender to motionless living was a foreign land. Bit by bit I have found peaceful connection and I am grateful for all the guides who have helped me along the way. 

constricted muscles
seek winter sunlight, birds perch 
pause to exhale pain

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join me at dVerse Poets' Pub for
Haibun Monday 1-29-24: Breath

Photo taken during our most recent ice storm. It is a close up of the beautiful frost on my bathroom window.