I was that edge, frame frayed threads separated whillynilly curving off in various directions nibbed and frazzle fuzzed leading to unraveled times with scissors, I cut loose ends to regain control or at least create an appearance of smooth evenness but it was not an honest look just a pretending of edged calm © Ali Grimshaw 2021 Join us for dVerse Open Link Night HERE
"Choosing to live and love with our whole hearts is an act of defiance. " - Brene Brown Join me for Galentine's Day, Write Yourself: Self-Love and Poetry Gathering Saturday, February 13. here - Eventbrite. (Tickets by donation) One of the many joys of facilitating writing circles is contributing to the journey of others and connecting women from across the globe. Renewal Through Poetry: Introductory Writing Circles February 21, 11:00 am PST register here - Eventbrite. "The circle is a very special part of my week. I am inspired by everyone, their thoughts, their writings, their words. I never come away without feeling something deeply or being profoundly touched. I am amazed at what comes out of the end of my pen." - Nancy
They come as colors with overlapping sides or frayed edges and in the transition of time often mix into each other. They come with thick bold boundaries, holding the fierce hues that refuse to be diminished or mellowed by new arrivals. They come as evaporated mist close enough to dampen my skin, yet just out of reach to clearly articulate in sounds. They come regardless of time of night, often dancing to distract while I am in the middle of a conversation intent on listening. They come generously not asking or demanding, but in hope that I will allow them to teach me how feeling them could be different than finding their answers. © Ali Grimshaw 2021 Photo taken in Porto, Portugal 2017 Come explore opening lines on dVerse today MTB: Opening lines…beginnings Cee's Stacked or Piled up Challenge
My dream is to create a safe space for you to explore the words that live inside you. Holding this listening space is one of the times I feel most alive. Our lives are enriched by reflectively listening to ourselves and others. It takes courage to reveal yourself and it is worth it.
Louise Gallagher is yet another amazing human that I wouldn’t have met without her taking a chance to share in the circle. Thank you, Louise, for your permission to share your artful poem here. It has been a gift to hear your words arrive and observe them unfurling over the past several weeks. Louise is a creativity activist, visual story-teller, mixed-media artist, writer, mentor, coach. You can find more of her poetry and beautiful creations at dareboldly.com
Writing together provides a mirror for us to process life in a safe place. Click here for information about my next Sunday writing circle.
a slight alteration not a full smile where teeth reveal themselves just a curled corner of lips lift your cheek rising upward winking your eye those unfamiliar to your face wouldn't notice the half-smirk so quickly retreating behind the coffee mug but I saw it as real as sunrise and I don't need more to know you felt joy today © Ali Grimshaw 2021 dVerse Open Link Night - Come join the fun.
How we name ourselves keeps us separate, collected or behind fences. What if we lost all labels to the wind? Started over with a single hello. Here is a new and rare being a species my brain cannot categorize outside of any box, never encountered right before my own human eyes. How wonder would fill me with the awe of you. © Ali Grimshaw 2021 dVerse - Poetics:Connections A wonderful community of writers reside on dVerse Poets Pub. Come join in the fun. Photo of mural taken in Auray, France. 2019
Some say, Who am I? I need to find myself. I have lost myself. Some ask, How do I go on? How do I begin again? What matters now? There are those who are living as question marks and those who refuse punctuation. When your heart burns away, is cracked to irreparable or crushed to stillness is that the end or the beginning of learning to love? © Ali Grimshaw 2021 Three quotes from a man who left this world too early, Martin Luther King J. May we remember his words.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.”
This dancing couple has grace swinging and swirling across the floor while never leaving each other's side. One with a worn toe from accenting turns The other steady centered, to spin in balanced pleasure. I long to slip into their magical trance it has been a long while since they have been out on a date. As I pull them from the closet I smile with the miles of songs we traveled together. Both have matched many steps to anxious cold handed partners tentative hesitance of beginners ease of familiar firm arms. This pair is a portal to playfulness open to all ages, they remain timeless in their relationship. A long lasting love story between them to be lived again and again until their soles have worn away. © Ali Grimshaw 2021 Come join the fun on dVerse with Poetics: Object Poems Dedicated to all my social dancing friends and anyone who is missing the joy of dancing together.
Palms upward as hands face sky open spaces between fingers relaxing into what has been a time of gentle and harsh scrubbing of the heart. Every inch of skin Brillo pad raw. An exfoliation of what has been. My fists, no longer clenched in tight survival, trust in slow unfurling. Pain tingling as blood returns to fingertips. Learning feet reground my trunk to an upright position, toes rooted past sand into bedrock. Freeing now agile hands to sift through the helpful lessons caught in my soft palms as promises while unneeded thoughts fall through finger spaces to join other decomposing conversations of days when I didn't know listening. Composting the no longer serviceable into nutrients for the new words to come. © Ali Grimshaw 2021
Coming together, across great distance to cherish poems and write together is hope in action. It is my heart work to facilitate a safe space to hear your inner voice and experience authentic connect. Wherever you live I would love to meet you. No writing experience needed. All voices welcome.
flashlight batteries - Ali Grimshaw 