love

Her Why

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 16 Comments

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It went around her neck, a symbol smooth of warmth

concise clarity, just enough weight to feel the ground

hold onto when her confidence didn’t show up for work.

 

It replaced her doubts packaged with strings of anxiety

long ago shipped on away. Her essential purpose

written to last, needed all of the available room.

 

The chain lay lightly on her chest, polished by her daily reaching.

She was never without it, the promise made for small faces

their eyes questions from a future she would never see.

 

© Alicia Grimshaw 2018

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Nietzsche

Resilience

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 25 Comments

 

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To open, fold back each layer

expose your inner colors

is nothing small.

I see courage in your willingness

to fully bloom. Expose the tender.

A relentless showing under a threatening sky.

After the loss of petals, burnt leaves.

You still choose the sun over fear

knowing the rains never stop

and summer doesn’t last.

 

© Alicia Grimshaw 2018

Courage rides the train

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 32 Comments

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They stepped onto the train that day

unaware of the choice the ride included.

When the voice of hate screamed

the two stood as stone, unwilling to look away.

Unified strangers woven into a safety net

flung over the young ones

a protective cover given without request

those two hearts knew what freedom

to live without fear was worth.

The cost of standing up, as the train moved into tomorrow

was life itself.

In this morning’s memory mirror

I wonder if I would be brave enough

to ride as they did.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2018

Dedicated to the men who died a year ago in Portland, Oregon as they stood to defend two young women. My heart breaks for the loved ones of Ricky Best, father of four and US Army veteran, and Taliesan Namkai-Meche a recent college graduate. In honor of these two and the countless others who have stood up against hate please join me in acts of kindness wherever you live. Love is the only answer.

For more information read this Washington Post article, ‘Final act of bravery’: Men who were fatally stabbed trying to stop anti-Muslim rants identified

 

Those that came before

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 15 Comments

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We are held

by unseen hands

family that came before

to hack through the wild

make a trail.

 

We are held

by their stories, mistakes

and courage. Rightness,

who is to blame

the tinted glasses we wear.

 

We are held

within their intentions

by the invisible imagination

of their hearts.

 

© Ali Grimshaw 2018

Inspired by this quote from Moorezart “We all carry, inside us, people who came before us.” ― David Mitchell, The Cloud Atlas

Photo from Pixabay

Safety Net

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 21 Comments

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I will embrace you

in this house of circumstance

walls cracked and cratered

plaster fallen failures.

Shelter you with my being

through the unavoidable crumbling

a steel umbrella in the storm.

I gave grown capable of being

the shelter, like the arch of

protection you once were

for me. I am solid

even as the erosion continues

with you under my wings.

© Ali Grimshaw 2018

April 26: Poem in Your Pocket Day – celebrate by selecting a poem, carrying it with you and sharing it with others throughout the day and on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem. Share a poem that got you through a hard time or one that makes you laugh. Touch someone’s heart.

Morning Newsbreak

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 17 Comments

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The 5:00 am thud,

my front porch newspaper.

When will this sound disappear

from my listening landscape?

Like the comfort

of sounds, predictable life

before the robots were made.

When hands held headlines

faithful objects, a lifeline

of interpretation on paper thinness

read in gentle openness

played at morning speed of drowsy slow

accompanied by the aroma of coffee.

The illusion of a day with

news within my control.

© Ali Grimshaw 2018

“It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men [and women] die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.”—William Carlos Williams

13 Ways to Support Poetry – guest blog post by Dick Allen  – A great article with specific ways to keep poetry alive in the world.

dVerse OpenLinkNight #218 – If you are looking for a community of poets you can find one here.

National Poetry Month – Fall in love with a poet.

 

Thanks for keeping the door unlocked

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 18 Comments

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If you are wondering

doubting,

don’t give up. Stay.

Someone loves the light

only you can be.

© Ali Grimshaw 2018

National Poetry Writers Month 2018 – Click to read more poems.