writing

Poems from the Circle – It is not just…

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 13 Comments

Within the writing circle, I use poems as prompts. Each person is invited to let their words fall onto the page. During a recent gathering, we wrote from Kim Russell’s poem, Just Saying. It was the perfect poem to jump from. Thank you, Kim.

In celebration of two people who recently tried the writing circle for the first time I am sharing their poems. It takes courage to share your voice and hear it reflected back to you. Thank you to Tandy and Frannie.

It’s not just a thought.
It’s the feelings and hope of a new tomorrow.
It’s not just a dream.
It’s the past remembered, re-created, and processed
to form the future.
It’s not just a memory
it’s all the memories that come together from the depth
of the soul and leave a mark on the world.
It’s not just me. It’s everyone who has come
before me and everyone who will come after to continue the circle.

By Tandy Wolf

It is not just a memory
it is the past awaking in the mind
time long and short ago sorted and squished
into shapes and colors and whispers
to ignite present feelings.

It is not just bird songs
but wafts of melodious sounds
carried on a spring breeze
swirling and drifting into a grateful consciousness.

By Frannie Brindle

Have you opened your curtain today?

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 7 Comments 
Let there always be light
let light always be

shining to see you through
let light reach you

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

If you are like me, you have a lot to feel right now. This can be heartbreaking and sometimes even make you feel alone. I am offering these upcoming writing circles for you to pause and gather your words. It is the delight of my heart to hold space for you.


In these circles, we will be slowing down to listen for…

  • the gifts of this season 
  • poetry that inspires and opens doors
  • ourselves and others in the circle

Saturday, January 27, 9:30 – 11:00 am PST $20 (two spots left)

Saturday, February 10, 9:30 – 11:00 am PST $20

Sunday, February 18, 1:30 – 3:00 pm PST $20

Circles are limited to six people. Each is a stand-alone offering. You can sign up for one or all.  Your first session is free.

Please email me to sign up.

Photo taken in Coos Bay, Oregon 2024.

Overseeing Liberation – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 44 Comments 


he oversees the lagoon of 
discarded worries
an under-demanding position

here visitors arrive worried-stiff
wrapped in cloud confusion

while misty banks ease the release 
of hidden heartbreak underneath

their layers of anxious hopefulness 

as fears are flung into waters
with rippling relief

reflecting reprieve

© Ali Grimshaw 2024

Join a friendly group of poets at dVerse. Find directions for your Quadrille poem HERE.

Photo taken on a walk in Portland, Oregon. This kind face brought this poem to mind.

Why write together? – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 16 Comments 
because time is slippery
memories mingle with worries 
when the pen lies dormant

because others are mirrors of magnitude
shining back the full spectrum 
of light in each of us

because when was the last time 
you made an appointment to savor 
the words of your own heart?

©Ali Grimshaw 2022

Join me on September 17 for Write Yourself: Poetry Writing Circle

Click HERE for more information.

Find Your Flow – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 2 Comments 
Swimming upstream
feeling the pull
of this current
day of decisions
to be made.

Kicking away
troubled tributaries

“You will regret this.” They say.

Where is my ladder through?
(even fish get one of those)

I guess God must think
me an excellent swimmer.

©Ali Grimshaw 2021
I continue to meet big-hearted humans across different time zones. Writing together provides a mirror for us to process life in a place where we have all agreed to listen with compassion. Come join us for a writing circle. No experience needed. All voices are welcome.

Write Yourself: Reflection Through Poetry
Mon, July 18, 2022
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PDT Register HERE

Opening – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 12 Comments

“Poetry is the unexpected utterance of the soul that comes at times to renew us when we least expect it. Poems show us how we belong to each other and life. Like all forms of art, poetry marries what is with what can be. Poems show us our possibility. There is a mystical assumption of Unity underneath all poems. Every honest, heartfelt expression shows how being connected to life in all its forms allows each of us to be more fully ourselves.” – Mark Nepo

unexpected can be beauty with open eyes 

©Ali Grimshaw 2022

This Monoku, a single line poem consisting of seventeen syllables or even fewer, inspired by Eugi's Casuerie. 

The photo was taken on my recent trip to Mexico. I spent a lot of time just being, not doing, just hearing the heartbeat of the ocean. I wish this for everyone. 
Sending peace from my heart to yours.

Water Heal My Soul – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 47 Comments

My words were inspired by this nourishing song, The River,

written and performed by Coco Love Alcorn. Please give it a listen.

river's spirit sings
rhythm without age
it knows flow
where to go
it helps me trust the way

with eyes closed, receiving
I open to the waterway
joining streamlets, runnels, rivulets
rushing away

Mother Earth's teaching
receding or overflow 
returning is
river's way to go

©Ali Grimshaw 2022

Join us at dVerse - Eyeing the Quadrille #147 HERE

Circle of Writing – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 27 Comments 
“Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.” – Audre Lorde  

Come write, throw your words 
on the wall like paint.
Splattering in playful revealing.

See which ones stick.
Watch which ones fall
or slide down the wall.

Your words want out
to frollick in the sun
to show you hope lives on.

Holding our words with listening 
care, teasured gently in open hands
we hear their song

see them as foreground
aglow in luscious hues
where you will sit in their light.

©Ali Grimshaw 2022

The Field of Us – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 15 Comments 
I am 
a blade of grass 
held by other
blades surrounding.
One blade in a field
of many.
Close together/alone.
Our sides hold us
faces to the sky.
Reaching toward sunlight
side by side
in directions wide.
None to be flattened.

© Ali Grimshaw 2022

I continue to meet big-hearted humans across different time zones. Writing together provides a mirror for us to process life in a place where we have all agreed to listen with compassion. Come join us for a writing circle. No experience needed. All voices are welcome.

Write Yourself: Reflection Through Poetry

Sat, February 12, 2022 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM PST

Register HERE

Poems from the circle

~ Ali Grimshaw ~ 13 Comments 
Now is the only time that matters 

Say goodbye to what is gone. 
No matter its importance then 
now is a new beginning. 

We get attached to our words, 
to-do lists, the shoulds and woulds 
that we tell ourselves. 

They keep us tied to the past. 
Fill us with regret and doubt 
for the next step forward. 

Now is the only time that matters.

By Val Boyko

I am grateful for Val's permission to share her poem from a recent writing circle. You can find more of her poems and yoga offerings here, www.FindYourMiddleGround.com. It has been an amazing to write with Val across the many miles, hear her experiences and find connection with someone who started out as a stranger and now is a friend.

I continue to meet big-hearted humans across different time zones. Writing together provides a mirror for us to process life in a place where we have all agreed to listen with compassion. Come join us for a writing circle.

Write Yourself: Reflection Through Poetry
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Click HERE for more information and registration.
No experience needed. All voices welcome.

Photo taken at Smith Rock State Park