Author: Ali Grimshaw

topsy-turvy – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 16 Comments 
Which way out?
Down is upside down
up is not what it used to be

Which way to the familiar 
where the predictable
seemed to be real?

Which way to rise
above the untaught history
which left us blind?

Which way forward
to undo, redo, or never do
again what once we did?

What we weren't ready for
or maybe never are, 
let's help each other rise
let us begin again.

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

Writing together provides a mirror for us to process life in a safe place where we have all agreed to listen with compassion. Thank you to all of you who have written with me in the last few months. I am so very grateful to share this journey with you. I have added this new date and time to open up the invitation to others in different time zones. Let’s connect across the boarders. Stay safe my friends.

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Ripen – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 28 Comments

dVerse ~ Poets Pub OLN – Come and explore this great community of poets.

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tended affectionately
organic prizes plumped
primed by summer's passion
heat and BB King's blues
quenching warmth 
gathering of sunlit kisses
red ripe to tango 
with your tongue and mine
slip into my backyard 
delight in this tender flesh
this ready to please moment 
of this temporary season.

© Ali Grimshaw 2020 (rewrite from 2018)

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Listening Inward

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 7 Comments

A online group journaling experience with Ali Grimshaw.

Tuesday, August 11, 4:00 – 5:30 pm PDT

The world needs the unique light that only you can shine. Keep your light on through the renewal of shared writing. Writing together can surprise us with new insights and guide our own journey.

  • Explore writing as a tool for self-reflection.
  • Slow down with yourself in space of self-care.
  • Be inspired by the words of others.

Testimonials from my past writing circle participants:

“Thank you for your loving energy, leading us to a place within ourselves that we either didn’t know was there or had been untapped for sometime. Your deep listening is a gift, and I feel held in it.” – Carrie

“I loved your focus on being intentional, hearing the voices of other women and your positive energy. You are a light and an inspiration.” – Diane

Register Below.

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I am… – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 48 Comments 
When you choose what follows
I am ...
pick your words with care.
I am brave can make walls disappear.
I am enduring can see you through troubled times.
I am curious can allow you to travel on a floating leaf
without leaving the front yard.

Sometimes others want to choose our words for us.
You are trouble.
You are incapable.
You are unworthy.

The secret is
words won't stick to you if you don't want them.
If you look closely they can be found.
Those unwanted words are removable.
Peel them off
Brush them away
or gently blow them into the breeze
like seeds of the dandelion. 

You never have to keep the words
unless you want them. 

So, what words will you choose
to follow 
I am...?

Passageways – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 34 Comments 
Actions taken from love
can never be regrets
only open doors 
of possibility 
to step through.

Doorways for light 
to shine in 
to shine out
or meet in amplification.

Welcoming visitors 
you once viewed
as strangers
now family members.

An invitation to leave
a room that doesn't serve you
or is keeping you small.

This door is locked 
on the inside
a wish come true.
You are free to leave
anytime.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2020
Photo take in on a trip to Amsterdam, 2019. 

Cee’s B&W Photo Challenge
Word of the Day Challenge: Wish

Poem up on Visual Verse

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 9 Comments
artwork by ali

My poem, A WHITE WOMAN ASKS HERSELF IF SHE IS THE ONE, is up on Visual Verse. Click on the link to read it. The photograph offered as the prompt brought up deep emotions for me. I hope you will visit Visual Verse to see it for yourself and read the many poems that it inspired.

Thank you to Visual Verse for sharing my words.

Visual Verse is a collaboration. An anthology of art, poetry, short fiction and non-fiction. Each month we supply a compelling image and invite writers – published or unpublished – to submit a piece in response.

Visual Verse is a celebration. Of the drama of seeing and the desire to express it. Of the things that inspire us, move us, and that we find hardest to articulate.

Visual Verse is a challenge. We offer you the chance to experience the rush of writing without overthinking. Sometimes strange, sometimes beautiful, let the picture be the start of something you can’t predict: your own response.

A benevolent view

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 16 Comments 
what you had always assumed
to be solid, now is soggy sadness

water warped windows with
a view misguided, bent lines

of memory altered truth
to offer up unjustified reflections

will you forgive yourself
for all that was unseen before?
 
© Alicia Grimshaw 2020

Photo take in Atlanta, Georgia
 

Begin Again – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 7 Comments 
now, before the spark dims
and doubt blankets your 
mind with too comfortable

now, before familiar climbs onto your lap
with worries, warmly weighty
and resignation joins in to
pull courage from the room

now, before you forget 
the dreams of befriending
a green tree of sunlight
the touch of dragonfly landings.

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

In this world of ever changing circumstances taking time to slow down with a poem and a small group of thoughtful people is, like a cool glass of water on a hot day, refreshing. I look forward to the opportunity to write with you.

Writing together can:
• Surprise and delight us
• Allow expression of feelings in creative ways
• Guide our own journey

Click on the links below for more information and registration. 

Writing for Renewal: Poetry & Reflection Circle Monday, July 6 12:00 PM PDT

Writing to Restore Ourselves: Poetry & Reflection Circle Wednesday, July 8 4:30 pm PDT  

Writing to Restore Ourselves: Poetry & Reflection Circle Tuesday, July 14 9:30 AM PDT

Curious about weekly writing circles? Email me at  coaching@aligrimshaw.com

Theory of the Undaunted

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 23 Comments 
hold spontaneity in one hand
hold courage in the other

after hesitation kisses you goodbye
free fall into your future

let possibility
fully fill your lungs

float untethered, without
holding your breath

until the shore
disrobes the fog

then swim with the passion
of another year

you never thought
you would have.

© Ali Grimshaw 2019

Evolving

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 11 Comments

The world needs listeners now more than ever. My writing circles are designed to practice deep listening and reflective writing in small groups. I am starting up another four week writing series on the second week of July. Curious about weekly writing circles? Email me at  coaching@aligrimshaw.com