My Guide – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

May 10, 2019May 27, 2019 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 29 Comments

Enlight17

A love note to my mother. In appreciation of the love mothers give every day.

Theory of the Undaunted – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

May 7, 2019May 27, 2019 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 46 Comments

hold spontaneity in one hand
hold courage in the other

after hesitation kisses you goodbye
jump into your future

let possibility
fully fill your lungs

float untethered, without
holding your breath

until the shore
disrobes the fog

then swim with the passion
of another year
you never thought
you would have.

d’Verse Poets Pub – Theories of Everything

The photo was taken in Portland, Oregon – Inspiring quote by Brene Brown

Soul Box

April 27, 2019January 23, 2020 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 25 Comments

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Stars could fade, darkness

like nothing, this world without

you as my heart light.

THE SOUL BOX PROJECT is a national community art project calling for the making of one hand-folded paper box to represent every person killed or injured by gunfire in the U.S. since 2014. Hundreds of thousands of these Boxes will be displayed together in massive art installations to reveal the staggering number of gunfire victims.

If you are near Portland, Oregon you can fold boxes on the second Wednesdays of the month from 4 – 6:30 pm at the THE CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL WELLBEING, 7100 SW HAMPTON ST SUITE 126 PORTLAND, OR 97223

Find out more at SoulBoxProject.org

“The point is, art never stopped a war and never got anybody a job. That was never its function. Art cannot change events. But it can change people… because people are changed by art – enriched, ennobled, encouraged – they then act in a way that may affect the course of events… by the way they vote, they behave, the way they think.” – Leonard Bernstein

Cultivate – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

April 21, 2019May 27, 2019 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 57 Comments

Shadowed understory no longer needed
sprout through old layers of indecision
boldly bolt toward sunlight to come.

Regardless of broken branches,
depleted soil from years
of growing the same crops.

Angle for full height, extension
of reach, beyond what is
expected of your species.

Grow yourself beyond
the gardens of your past
self.

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach

Forgiving Connects

Open Link Night – d’Verse Poets Pub

Available 24/7

April 17, 2019April 19, 2019 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 28 Comments

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Never preoccupied by screens screaming

unknown friends, nor business buzzing heads.

Mine sit in wait, pocket ready, stacked bedside,

cursive faded on the bathroom mirror. Ever-ready

to ask courageous questions, with reassuring palms

warmly press down on my shoulders. They lead

remind from behind, cocoon me from nightmare bombs

and disappearing green, when my inside raisins.

Trustworthy friends of ink, folded and unfolded

because the need is so great.
© Ali Grimshaw 2018

Poem in Your Pocket Day 2019 is on April 18 and is part of National Poetry Month. On this day, select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, street corners, and on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem.

“You will never be alone with a poet in your pocket.” – John Adams.

d’Verse Open Link Night #241

Topography – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

April 13, 2019May 27, 2019 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 21 Comments

An inner dissection

sections of her heart

thinly unlayered, to find

the magnificence of awe

that used to be part of her.

Faded peak moments mapped

on her skin. Elevations reached

and fallen from while yearning

changed her topography.

Thoughts of who

she could become, still

a proposed expedition.

SHADOW ~ PIC AND A WORD CHALLENGE #182

The Listener

April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 15 Comments

Can you be

with your own silence?

Walking with yourself

wherever you go

naked

or clothed in words

that warm

or weigh you down.

Will you mirror

a friendly listener

hear your own voice

gently?

Shadows in Kauai, Hawaii 2018

Today’s challenge is to write a poem that ends with a question. This poem was inspired by a fellow blogger, Pragalbha’s post. Thank you for the inspiration. I wrote this after reading her words today, “Being With Myself”

Beyond shore

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 ~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 9 Comments

She never failed
to float him beyond
the current of his day.

He never resisted
slipping away with her
curved sides just right

perfect in their holding space
arcs to part waves
when he needed release

she took him far from shore
her motor always finely tuned
of that he made sure never to neglect.

I’m so excited that it’s NaPoWriMo again. NaPoWriMo is an annual poetry challenge that takes place in April. The idea is to write a poem a day resulting in 30 poems in total. The NaPoWriMo site provides prompts if you want to use them. I have added to this challenge by reading poems every day of the month from several different sources. Click on the icon above to join in.