Why?
One word with the power to
kick my brain from the inside.
Why did I pick this?
Why is it important to me?
Without this one word question
procrastination can run amok.
Why does finishing this matter?
Will anyone care?
Is it worth it?
I am just one
among billions.
Just plain old me.
What if I don’t?
What will be lost?
Will I cease to exist?
The why of
is always
the essential.
© Alicia Grimshaw 2017
Inspired by Nikki’s post titled “Doubts and Dreams” – Flying Through Water
© Alicia Grimshaw 2017
I am resharing this poem in honor of all the parents attending graduations this month. Congratulations. New adventures await.
The running shoes you left behind
positioned like you evaporated from them
angled as if deserted mid-step
have me wondering
were you ready
to move on to an unknown life
stuffing skills and memories in a backpack
experiences overflowing from unzipped pockets
your back receding into the distance
I have learned the answer to
Are you ever ready?
© Ali Grimshaw
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 2017
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
When you signed
put life on the line
with handwritten ink bleeding on the page,
did you realize the sacrifice
a mother’s wail to follow in the night
before your feet left this land?
My heart cracks with the thinking of it
pain leaking out slow.
The life you donated for others
unknown to you
makes me know without doubt
love is brave.
© Alicia Grimshaw 2017
Thank you to all who have given their lives for others.
Never adrift
always within arm’s length
inseparable as far back
as memory will reach,
weathered worn wise
with fantasies of
chain breaking
to float free.
knocked down
like a tree after a storm
my trunk horizontal
broken limbs at odd angles
body left with jagged holes exposed
pieces scattered near and far down the lane
some parts even seem to have disappeared
now I think I understand how humpty dumpty felt
there isn’t a way to put the pieces back together
it is time to start again
look for fertile soil
plant myself where sunlight will reach me.
flashlight batteries - Ali Grimshaw 