poem

Tug of War

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 8 Comments

 

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According to her internal judge

she was never up to par,

even when crossing the finish line first

accomplishment slid off her skin. Always

gripping, holding on for acceptance.

Yet perplexed separation pained her days.

She wanted belonging

and never wanted to fit in

knew it would change her.

A part broken off to float away irretrievable.

No one else stayed after class to console the bullied teacher.

It never occurred to her not to.

She saw those faces on the fringe,

secretly knowing she was an outlier as well.

She let go of the kinship rope

not to lose herself.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2017

Photo credit to Pixabay – Alberto Barco Figari

Observe

Safety Net

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 21 Comments

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I will embrace you

in this house of circumstance

walls cracked and cratered

plaster fallen failures.

Shelter you with my being

through the unavoidable crumbling

a steel umbrella in the storm.

I gave grown capable of being

the shelter, like the arch of

protection you once were

for me. I am solid

even as the erosion continues

with you under my wings.

© Ali Grimshaw 2018

April 26: Poem in Your Pocket Day – celebrate by selecting a poem, carrying it with you and sharing it with others throughout the day and on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem. Share a poem that got you through a hard time or one that makes you laugh. Touch someone’s heart.

Morning Newsbreak

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 17 Comments

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The 5:00 am thud,

my front porch newspaper.

When will this sound disappear

from my listening landscape?

Like the comfort

of sounds, predictable life

before the robots were made.

When hands held headlines

faithful objects, a lifeline

of interpretation on paper thinness

read in gentle openness

played at morning speed of drowsy slow

accompanied by the aroma of coffee.

The illusion of a day with

news within my control.

© Ali Grimshaw 2018

“It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men [and women] die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.”—William Carlos Williams

13 Ways to Support Poetry – guest blog post by Dick Allen  – A great article with specific ways to keep poetry alive in the world.

dVerse OpenLinkNight #218 – If you are looking for a community of poets you can find one here.

National Poetry Month – Fall in love with a poet.

 

Love Louder

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 17 Comments

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Can two words be enough,

make a poem on their own

to shake the passers by awake.

Just a couple, woven into

the fabric of an ordinary day?

Please tell me they can.

 

© Ali Grimshaw 2018

Photo of a local high school fence, Oregon

Photo Challenge – Awakening

National Poetry Month

Wisdom of a sunflower

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 22 Comments

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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.

© Ali Grimshaw 2018 – photo taken on a roadtrip in Spain

“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.

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National Poetry Month 2018

Between the lines

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 21 Comments

Hawaii 2013 159

 

line straight as the horizon, faintly blue as sky meets sea

each edge, finger-width apart, to contain the message

 

my words lay cushioned by these guiding layers

some smeared by effort of my own hand

 

it was not by accident that I wrote to you

between the lines and not on them.

 

our relationship never occupied spaces

defined by rules of in or out.

 

© Ali Grimshaw (revised version of 2016 poem)

Rise/Set – Morning in Maui with my sweetheart observing the sea.

d’Verse – Open Link Night

Dwelling Place

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 17 Comments

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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

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 17 Comments

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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