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LOVE in Capital Letters – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 16 Comments

“Human awe is an endangered species. Do not let your astonishment go extinct. Go wild for the wildness of your being.” – Andrea Gibson


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

Photo taken in Portland, Oregon on my hike of "appreciating the flowering trees" this past weekend. They remind me to love big. I hope they inspire you to reach out to someone you have been missing.

My light is shining – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 14 Comments

A big thank you to editor Barbara Leonhard for publishing my poem, Words For Sale. This poem considers the value of poetry and the possibilities that a poem can offer. I invite you to visit MasticadoresUsa to read the poem, enjoy the poetry of others, and share your thoughts.

Thank you to all the readers that help keep poetry alive.

Poems from the Circle – It is not just…

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 13 Comments

Within the writing circle, I use poems as prompts. Each person is invited to let their words fall onto the page. During a recent gathering, we wrote from Kim Russell’s poem, Just Saying. It was the perfect poem to jump from. Thank you, Kim.

In celebration of two people who recently tried the writing circle for the first time I am sharing their poems. It takes courage to share your voice and hear it reflected back to you. Thank you to Tandy and Frannie.

It’s not just a thought.
It’s the feelings and hope of a new tomorrow.
It’s not just a dream.
It’s the past remembered, re-created, and processed
to form the future.
It’s not just a memory
it’s all the memories that come together from the depth
of the soul and leave a mark on the world.
It’s not just me. It’s everyone who has come
before me and everyone who will come after to continue the circle.

By Tandy Wolf

It is not just a memory
it is the past awaking in the mind
time long and short ago sorted and squished
into shapes and colors and whispers
to ignite present feelings.

It is not just bird songs
but wafts of melodious sounds
carried on a spring breeze
swirling and drifting into a grateful consciousness.

By Frannie Brindle

Make A Moment To Remember – Poem By Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 46 Comments 

When did your heart get trampled by disbelief 
forgotten in rushing reactivity
pushed aside by survival?

Are you willing to let it be revived?

You don't need to decide today.

I will take you with me, barefooted
brave and heartskipping.

Let's find a butterfly to wonder about.
Then later I can remember it with you
in the pictures of my mind.

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join a welcoming group of poets
for Open Link Night HERE at
dVerse Poets' Pub. 

Photo taken at Tuscon Botanical Gardens. They have an delightful butterfly exhibit. When was the last time you hung out with butterflies?

Wintertide – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 32 Comments 


In winter's grasp, we linger, longing for spring's embrace.
Does the waiting make arrival all the more precious?
A glowing light across the street reminds me of companionship.
Within these cold days gathering, we are the light for each other.
Together is our way forward toward blooming.

Often wintertide darkness can seem a season too long.
I cradle reminders of past flowers, new growth of green
wrapped in warm memories of meandering meadows wide.
While frost edges my windows in delicate design.
In winter's grasp, we linger, longing for spring's embrace.

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

dVerse Poets’ Pub Open Link Night. Join a friendly group of poets, HERE.

A Kick Start For Winter Days – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 33 Comments 
plan for magic
then just begin

after all
aliveness is in the happening

(adventure cannot find you on the couch)

choose a cloud to follow
out the back door

let the sky touch your face
welcome all reflections

look until you find the
beautiful

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join a welcoming group of poets
for Quadrille Monday at 
dVerse Poets' Pub - HERE
Write a 44 word poem inspired by touch.

Along the Path of Daily Breathing – poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 26 Comments

“Because the heart dwells in unattended dark, we often forget its sublime sensitivity to everything that is happening to us. Without our ever noticing, the heart absorbs the joy of things and also their pain and care. Within us, therefore, a burdening can accrue. For this reason, it is wise now and again to tune in to your heart and listen for what it carries.

– Let Your Heart Speak, John O’Donohue

along the path of daily breathing
to hear my heart’s needs
saturation of all to be felt

(all muscles need rest to continue lifting)

I sit inside a song of silence
listening for imaginings of the heart
possibilities of becoming

dreams beyond my thinking

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Quadrille Monday – Imagine at dVerse Poets’ Pub. Join in the fun HERE.

and just when I think, “How much could it matter?” – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 23 Comments 


How many days can you claim bold aliveness
on an airstream of love 
where wordclouds hover to make shadows?

What sweet relief to witness the magesty of 
bloom on blue, a gathering of cells 
multiplying magnificent.

"I'll miss you," he said in a whisper. "How many ways 
can a mountian be climbed?"

Dipping skinny-style, screaming out in glee
we entered the river to revive.

Lavendar dusk of sky
arched islands like the backs of resting animals.

Oh, what can be unfolded inside my twisted heart
by sunlight on water if each person is a light
if we are billions of shades shifting into place.

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join in dVerse Poets' Pub OLN #354
Learn how HERE.

This poem was inspired by Laura's prompt - Last Year's First Eleven
I chose one poem from each month and used the first line to make
this new poem. All of these lines were from poems I posted in 2023. 
Writing this was like a word puzzle.

Have you opened your curtain today?

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 7 Comments 
Let there always be light
let light always be

shining to see you through
let light reach you

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

If you are like me, you have a lot to feel right now. This can be heartbreaking and sometimes even make you feel alone. I am offering these upcoming writing circles for you to pause and gather your words. It is the delight of my heart to hold space for you.


In these circles, we will be slowing down to listen for…

  • the gifts of this season 
  • poetry that inspires and opens doors
  • ourselves and others in the circle

Saturday, January 27, 9:30 – 11:00 am PST $20 (two spots left)

Saturday, February 10, 9:30 – 11:00 am PST $20

Sunday, February 18, 1:30 – 3:00 pm PST $20

Circles are limited to six people. Each is a stand-alone offering. You can sign up for one or all.  Your first session is free.

Please email me to sign up.

Photo taken in Coos Bay, Oregon 2024.

Overseeing Liberation – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 44 Comments 


he oversees the lagoon of 
discarded worries
an under-demanding position

here visitors arrive worried-stiff
wrapped in cloud confusion

while misty banks ease the release 
of hidden heartbreak underneath

their layers of anxious hopefulness 

as fears are flung into waters
with rippling relief

reflecting reprieve

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join a friendly group of poets at dVerse. Find directions for your Quadrille poem HERE.

Photo taken on a walk in Portland, Oregon. This kind face brought this poem to mind.