Singing through the cracks

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 24 Comments
Image may contain: outdoor, possible text that says 'Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in. Leonard Cohen LIFE' A DANCETM'

And they sang
through the cracks of pain
through the wandering worries
through the regrets, determined desires
to be true to their calling hearts.

And they sang
because song was needed
because together their voices lifted
because all else didn’t make sense
because they could.

And others joined the circle

and they sang.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2020

The River Knows – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

Quote ~ ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 71 Comments

“I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
– John Muir

In slowing my pace to lightly step
I saw the power of the hummingbird
defeating the odds again
to fly, even though science says it shouldn’t be able.

I leaned on the elder tree that stood through hurricanes.
Touched sprouts forcing through cracked concrete.
Studied a cactus with magenta bloom
in the desperate dry landscape.

Outside I found my mentors.

Along singing creek waters, trails of bright birdsong
and pausing in cliffside meadows where the ocean roars.

I heard the strength of the outside.

The river knows where it is going
and I will follow it.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2020

photo by antilandscpaper 2-26-20

Hummingbirds have been baffling scientists for years. Matt Ransford commented, “The hummingbird is an animal that by all rights shouldn’t be able to fly” (Popular Science). But not only can this bird fly, it is the only bird able to fly forwards, backward, up, down, sideways, upside down, and even hover. – Mar 23, 2012

dVerse Open Link Night

Temporary – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 57 Comments

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Your phrases landed
on the floor between us.
I didn’t know how to catch them.

Your breathless words carried
a story of near miss.
One collection of minutes
that almost
restructured my life.

Like flower petals
blown away by the wind
altering forever

their attachment
to the stem.

Never again to unite in bloom’s beauty.

A reminder of
the impermanence of us.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2020 (Rewrite of a poem shared in 2017)

dVerse prompt – Poetics: Impermanence

Life in a suitcase

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 33 Comments

Their voices
Peeling memories away
layers of lives left littered

one packed suitcase
one hope
one chance

Back across the sea
buildings without occupancy
echoes through rooms
call them back home

Here they are
far from the familiar
family table and
some are missing

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

dVerse Quadrille #98

This poem was inspired by this article. Interview: Artists Rebuild Refugees’ Emotional Memories of “Home” Inside Suitcases By Jessica Stewart

Scale Model of Abandoned Home

“Working together with writer Ahmed Badr, architect and sculpture artist Mohamad Hafez listened to the stories of refugee families living in America and helped shine a light on their experiences. As two former refugees themselves—Hafez from Syria and Badr from Iraq—this is an issue close to their hearts. The result is Unpacked, an emotional multi-media installation where the voices of each family tell their experiences as viewers engage with an incredible scale model of the homes they’ve left behind.”

“Each model, created by Hafez, is packed into a suitcase as a symbol of the baggage these families carry forward into their new lives.  As Hafez listened carefully during the interviews, which often ran six to seven hours, he was sketching what he heard. Using what he discovered, he was able to mold their memories into a visual representation that leaves no question about the dire circumstances these refugees faced.”

Unpacked will be on view at the University of Madison-Wisconsin – February 5, 2020 to March 15, 2020.

May you notice – poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 29 Comments

enlight1

It doesn’t need

to be earned

fought for, proven.

It cannot be purchased

or owed.

True love is given

just because.

I hope that you notice

that love has landed on you today.

 

I hope you let yourself feel it.

 

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

Thank you to all my readers for the love you share in the world. I see your hearts strong.

Coddiwomple – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 38 Comments

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Even without
a roadmap
I can follow
the song
of my
heart’s direction.
Sing along
while keen
to its increase.
Turning
in time
so as not to
lose the melody.
Ears intent on
wholeness of being
following
fulfilling
fondly
easing my ache
of confusion.

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

Coddiwomple (v.) Origin: English Slang Word.Definition: To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.

dVerse Poets Pub – Quadrille “Fill”

Photo taken on my trip to Amsterdam, October 2019.

Unravel – reflective writing workshops

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 21 Comments

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It is a continual process to unweave
that which is truth from story. I pull

a thread, remove one line, observe how
the fabric changes, notice the new spaces

breathing between essential threads
that remain, a skeleton of existence

until extracting the unneeded
leaves what is left, sparsely resilient

penetrable light of a future once blocked
by memories tightly woven.

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

Consider yourself invited to my February workshops.

Navigating Life Transitions Through Reflective Writing

Life is full of change. Whether dealing with an ending relationship, new career, or empty nest, shifting circumstances can be challenging when you face them alone. Join me in exploring the use of poetry, shared inquiry and writing for self-reflection within a safe, supportive community. In this workshop you will have the opportunity to …

  • Write & reflect using prompts and poetry about change
  • Share with others if you wish. There is no requirement to share.
  • Create a new intention for yourself

Email coaching@aligrimshaw.com to register.

Date: Feb. 18, 2020 Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm, $20 per person

Date: Feb. 23, 2020 Time: 3:00 – 4:30 pm, $20 per person

Location: The Center for Spiritual Well Being,

7100 SW Hampton St., STE 126 Portland,OR

 

Quench

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 32 Comments
white ceramic cup
Photo by Saif Selim on Pexels.com

Choose a small cup

simple, without handle

 

each hand deserves a curve of warm

the offering of this today, inhabited

 

it cannot help but overflow

effortlessly overcome boundaries

designed by small needs

running down the sides in abundance.

 

Maybe you have forgotten

how little it takes

to satisfy thirst.

 

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things – Available on Netflix

dVerse Poets Pub –  Open Link Night

 

Traveler

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 31 Comments

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Your silhouetted resilience

of an almost ageless traveler

with kid’s eyes of curious.

Ready for all that is,

wildly wondrous.

Unwilling to miss a viewpoint

be it window wide

or mountaintop.

Fractured city lights illuminate

all the bold and beloved

I see in you.

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

dVerse Quadrille #96 Wild

Dedicated to my adventurous life partner, Adam.

One bowl – poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 29 Comments

img_1997

And the words were ladled out
to fill her, like warm soup
for a bleak benumbed soul in need

she had forgotten to feed her
spirit, an inner child who waited
patient for her spoonful

another day here was possible

© Ali Grimshaw 2020

“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake.” – Francis Bacon