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The Field of Us – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 15 Comments 
I am 
a blade of grass 
held by other
blades surrounding.
One blade in a field
of many.
Close together/alone.
Our sides hold us
faces to the sky.
Reaching toward sunlight
side by side
in directions wide.
None to be flattened.

© Ali Grimshaw 2022

I continue to meet big-hearted humans across different time zones. Writing together provides a mirror for us to process life in a place where we have all agreed to listen with compassion. Come join us for a writing circle. No experience needed. All voices are welcome.

Write Yourself: Reflection Through Poetry

Sat, February 12, 2022 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM PST

Register HERE

Defrosting – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 39 Comments 
Splintered thoughts
pierce afternoon intentions,

a full-tilt frustrationquake.

In the chilled middle 
perseverance wains weary.

Curiosity escapes the building.

Shivering anger taps out words
I know I will never send.

Yet wisdom isn't hibernating.
I wait 24 hours to thaw,

for what will remain.

© Ali Grimshaw 2022

Quadrille #144: Shivering - Join us at dVerse - HERE

Poems from the circle

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 13 Comments 
Now is the only time that matters 

Say goodbye to what is gone. 
No matter its importance then 
now is a new beginning. 

We get attached to our words, 
to-do lists, the shoulds and woulds 
that we tell ourselves. 

They keep us tied to the past. 
Fill us with regret and doubt 
for the next step forward. 

Now is the only time that matters.

By Val Boyko

I am grateful for Val's permission to share her poem from a recent writing circle. You can find more of her poems and yoga offerings here, www.FindYourMiddleGround.com. It has been an amazing to write with Val across the many miles, hear her experiences and find connection with someone who started out as a stranger and now is a friend.

I continue to meet big-hearted humans across different time zones. Writing together provides a mirror for us to process life in a place where we have all agreed to listen with compassion. Come join us for a writing circle.

Write Yourself: Reflection Through Poetry
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Click HERE for more information and registration.
No experience needed. All voices welcome.

Photo taken at Smith Rock State Park

My Light is Shining

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 19 Comments

I am honored to have my poem, Sidewalk Gallery, included in this anthology alongside many other poets that I adore. Thank you, Brian Geiger, for the opportunity to share my words.

From the publisher: “From a shaft of sunlight warming the kitchen floor to a lush forest by Walden pond, what is it about experiencing nature that pleases and fulfills us? In the third volume of the Vita Brevis Poetry Anthology, established and emerging poets from around the world show what nature means to them. This is nature poetry at its most precise and moving, continuing the long tradition of Transcendentalism, deciphering ourselves and the world that sustains us — with art.”

You can find Nothing Divine Dies here in paperback and ebook.

for them – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 22 Comments 
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” 
- Martin Luther King Jr

I teach them.

I teach them about the magic eraser of fresh starts
far more valuable than double digit multiplication
or how to identify an adverb.

I teach them.

I teach them to listen for their own questions
ones that lift and spring forth aliveness.
The ones that come from within.

I teach them.

I teach them in the hot and cold times
heartbreak tsunami, within or without walls.
They are my living hope, my wonder.

I teach them 
and I receive
the beauty of their being.

© Ali Grimshaw 2022

Mural created by the 5th grade students of Mr. Bowen'class at Oak Creek Elementary.
I am honored to support the students and teachers of this amazing school. 
Stay strong.

Transitory – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 19 Comments 
I built a bridge to you
using marshmallows and glue
It was worth the sticky effort
then it melted in the rain.

I threw a magic ruby rope
woven with sparkles of hope
singing enchantments 
to call you closer.

I dug a river of blue
inviting a float on my skin
to pull you within
but you preferred to fly.

I nested a home for myself
cocooned through my pain.
With a change in the winds
on a zephyr you rode in.

© Ali Grimshaw 2022

dVerse Open LInk Night #307 - Join in HERE

Photo take at the fantastic Chihuly Garden last summer when I was still traveling.

It’s Time – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 22 Comments
© Ali Grimshaw 2021

Writing together is a beautiful method of letting go, highlighting what is worth holding on to, and listening inward. It is a playful journey and a great way to make friends from distant places. Join me for a writing circle as we start a new year.

Write Yourself: Reflection Through Poetry. 1/15/22, 10:30 AM PST – Click HERE

Wishing you peace and wellness in 2022.

Ali

Improvement- Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 35 Comments 
Do birds tweet tips to build the ultimate nest
the perfect moss, twigs and feathers, 
compare upgrades while glancing at neighboring trees?
Are their morning songs full of howtos
improvements for the hatching experience 
which worms provide ultimate first year growth? 
Do they evaluate whose chick flies first
beak prodding, edging young to the side of the nest?

Do whales train for the record breaking swim 
gossip about sleek oils to reduce resistance, 
or share tips for secret feeding grounds?
Do they nose their young to be better, faster, more
than the last generation in hope of survival?
Do they feel the temperature change 
of homeland waters and wonder?

What does it mean to live up to your full potential?
Who decides what that looks like while growing inside
a cage of culture we have been born into? More is 
better or not, faster? Further? More fragile?
What says the wisdom of each being? 

When have I last heard my beating heart?

© Ali Grimshaw 2021 

Join us at dVerse Open LInk Night - HERE

Fragments of Joy – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 13 Comments 
Awe is the wisdom of sweet
sticky handed laughter.
Let loose to tumble through
doorways of my day.

Eyes of wonderful, cherishing
new gleam on faces found.

Mystery of how 
this connects to that
which we would have never 
guessed was related.

Unexpected sparkles 
in the corner.

© Ali Grimshaw 2021

Meeting the Bar: Critique and Craft - Join us at dVerse HERE

Briefly – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 30 Comments
Fallen Leaf Art by Nikola Faller in Osijek, Croatia – More inspiring photos HERE
Briefly

Stages and ages of crimson edges
crisp rounds, centers of golden.

Veins will remain long after the delicate 
sections have disassembled themselves
to join the soil for another cycle. 

These elders don't fight seasonal changes.
Through the quiet and loud
or bend and wave of storm
they receive while sheltering seedings below

forever willing to show their nakeness 
in the darkest of times.
With empty arms
while full of life within.

Their offerings a mosaic
of temorary color.

© Ali Grimshaw 2021

Join us on dVerse Poet's Pub for Open Link Night - HERE