love

Held – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 23 Comments 
"The answer is always a question. 
There is no truth more true than wonder." - Andrea Gibson

Is there anything that I hold
that isn't also holding me?

cool air breathing me alive from the inside

the back of the chair supporting me
as my weight is upon it

the trusted walls enclosing me 
as I hold space for myself to be

outside my window weighted limbs layered with frost

holding you in my thoughts
I wonder widely
while held within the hands of change
as twilight slowly surrounds me.

© Ali Grimshaw 2023

Join me for Open Link Night
on dVerse Poets' Pub
OLN #342 information HERE. 
Come share a poem.
Saturday, July 22, 7:00 am PST.

When you are handed sunshine in capital letters- Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 16 Comments 

when those letters came into view
capitals singing out a future
I had not yet thought of 

I pulled that idea into my heart
tucked it carefully in tight
not to lose a single drop of glee

as I turned to skip a beat
down 
the 
street

belief landed before
I ever met your eyes

© Ali Grimshaw 2023

Glorious - By Ma Muse
Give this song a listen. 
It is my celebration song of the week.

Magic to Come – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 16 Comments 

a gathering of cells
multiplying magnificent

a seed inside 
one breathing being 
and no one even knew

that you had begun
arriving

small magic 
happening inside the womb 

she went about her day 
hanging laundry
in her quiet way

while the message of you 
grew

© Ali Grimshaw 2021

Whether you are a mother or not I wish you a Happy Mother's Day 
in celebration of all mother's around the world. 
Thank you for what you give and gave.

Promises – Poem By Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 10 Comments 
moleclues of motion 
have never known the word obstacle

green going with the flow
happily not seeking separation

a sorrowful lament or joyous naming of aliveness
birthed from the diaphram

like eyes from above emulating possibility
of sight through darkness

and they continued to create, even when
they couldn't feel hope 

beating the odds
one heartbeat at a time


Photo taken in Portugal 2017.

Day 2 of National Poetry Writing Month

Check out the prompts HERE.

The questions I chose to ponder were: What is a river?

What is seaweed? What is song? What is an owl? What is a miracle?

Expansion – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 11 Comments 

“What you are, the world is. 
And without your transformation, 
there can be no transformation of the world.”
- Jiddu Krishnamurti

She squeezed herself 
into the shape she was given
condensed her needs and wants
in an effort to take up less space

pulled back to a smaller, smaller
place

There was no room to grow. 
There was only survival.

When did it happen
the noticing of held breath?

She smiles now with remembrance.

He came along one day.
He surprised her into a great exhale
and the air 
flowed
in 
effortlessly.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2022

Photo taken in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
What gift a sunset can be.

On The Same Wavelength – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 48 Comments 

before the stars rise
you and I 

benched before beauty
breathing bliss

us, just together, side by side
seaside stretched

our heartbeats synch 
to the drumbeat
rolling waves
waves rolling

our sunset
doesn't need words

holding your hand is
a forever-changing color
always warm

© Ali Grimshaw 2023

Join a friendly group of poets on dVerse for
Quadrille #169: A Star (Poem) is Born

Photo taken in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. 2022.
I am missing those sunsets.

Sampler For Your Heart – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 38 Comments 
"Could you write a poem for me?" you asked. Then you left before I could ask the specifics of your heart's desire. Are you in need of savory words to awaken or creamy expressions to nourish? I pondered for hours then did what I could based on the circumstances.  I wrote out a mixed assortment of sizes; courageous squares of coconut, rounds of morning lips delight, cinnamon memories of warm skin and the encouragement of toffee. This sampler will be delivered to your doorstep tomorrow at 4:00 pm. Let me know which flavor left your heart wanting more.

neverending waves
love's ocean unstoppable
I am your shoreline

© Ali Grimshaw 2023

Haibun Monday 1-30-23: Heart
Join us at dVerse - HERE.

Photo taken in Portugal, 2017.

Undeniable – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 30 Comments 
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

Join us on dVerse for Quadrille Monday
#167 BOLD-ly Go    HERE

Photo taken in Puerto Vallarta, Mexio.

Back Then – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 26 Comments

This poem is in response to the Pandemic Haibun Challenge that’s currently underway in the publication, A Cornered Gurl via Medium.  Thank you trE for the opportunity for shared reflection.

Noticings are always within reach if your eyes are open. A friend’s phone call, text photo, or cherished smile from six feet away can keep your cup from emptiness. Yet eventually days bleed into one another, months lose their borders, leaving Mondays indistinguishable. Where weeks fall like dominoes. Small routines within repeated walls lead to smaller and smaller thinking. Loneliness swallows you into the basket of its belly. Where over time depression feeds itself with handfuls of separation. It blindfolds your eyes so slowly you that you forget that sight has been lost. You stop moving, reaching out your arms. Until one morning’s shock of sunlight reminds you there is a world beyond this box called myself.

love went missing in

a forced experiment of

awakening us

© Alicia Grimshaw 2022

Without reflection there is no opportunity to learn. 
What have you learned from the pandemic experience?