Wisdom of a sunflower

April 1, 2018 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 22 Comments

Her face follows the sun

an anchor of light, trusted to lead while she grew

a warmth of reassurance when her sight was lost

from darkness. A seed born with the knowing

yet unable to realize until the day of blossoming.

She held it all along. Resolve of love, strength to push

through the compacted soil of failure, to stretch

when trampled, to believe in the next dawn

while she remained in the shadow of night.

“Like sunflowers that stop tracking the sun as they mature, we too begin to respond differently to life as we age. We learn to brave more parts of the day with our heads turned away from the sun, because we realize that we can only know who we are if we let the sun shine behind us and allow it to draw our shadow in front of us, so that we may see how we are really shaped.

We begin to realize how even darkness has its gifts, and how even if we don’t always bask in the light, we can survive.” – When Sunflowers Stop Following The Sun

I was inspired to write this poem after reading this thoughtful article. Never underestimate the power of sharing with careful words.

National Poetry Month 2018

Dwelling Place

March 25, 2018March 27, 2018 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 17 Comments

Inside the conversation of contribution

my favorite place to dwell

walls like soft bubble gum that can expand

with the breath of new ideas

to watch you poke, prod, punch

a fist through the wall

on your face the surprised realization

of the awe-filled fluidity, stretched elastic

boundaries you once believed to be walls of stone.

How a soft blow, like cooling off your tea too hot

can open up a whole new room. High rounded ceilings

with space to grow into.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2018

My favorite place to be is inside a coaching conversation listening for another’s dreams. This was a tough idea to capture in a photo. Photo Challenge: Favorite Place

24 hours later

March 18, 2018 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 17 Comments

Years ago I chose the RULE

24 Hours minimum, before

doing, speaking, before action

24 Hours to steep in the experience

all emotional flavors infused, allowed to cool

to sip consideration of your viewpoint

before I express my own.

My reflection on the gift of time to change our perspective. I also have a poem related to this theme up on Via Brevis today. via EDITOR’S CHOICE: Weather Forecast

Long live the poets.

March 11, 2018March 11, 2018 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 17 Comments

I don’t usually share this type of post but this group really struck my fancy. What an incredible combination of creativity to bring poetry to the world in a new way. The Haiku Guys + Gals. write personalized haiku poems on typewriters at every type of event imaginable. Each interaction takes just a minute or two, and culminates with the creation of a custom gift for the event guest to take home or share. Some people have likened the experience to “a photo booth for the soul.” This is a haiku they wrote for a fellow blogger. It speaks to me and has me thinking about sharing poems in new ways.

your reach is as long
as your imagination
so untie your hands

May poetry touch your day,

Ali