Your giggles and smiles brighten my days
I’ll always blow your clouds away
-sun or son?

Your joy is catching
The way you run at the world laughing
Exploring all the gifts of life
and I’m here to block the knife

Sometimes my lioness roars
Other times she comforts and adores
when I’m drowning
Your tug on my hand is my grounding
-motherhood

She whispers
Go little fireflies
Help me be the spark
That lights up someone else’s dark

There once was a time
That I would look up at the stars
and find comfort in their shine
Fore if I can see their light in all the darkness
Surely I can find mine

Poem #1 is about how having a child that brings you back to the present. It seems like during all of my bad days my son gives me a reason to smile or laugh or he melts my heart. In a lot of ways, my present revolves around him. So, when depression is pulling me into the past and anxiety is pulling me into the future, my son has a way to bring me back to the present moment with him. It is something that I truly cherish.

Poem #2 is kind of along the same lines as the first poem. It’s about watching your child explore the world. They rarely have hesitation and just dive in. And of course, as mothers, we are there to protect them from harm. We are also their safe place. However, we are not the only ones who comfort in the relationship. When you’re feeling lost, they grab your hand and tug with a “mama will you play with me?”.

Poem #3 is about my hope for my writing. I hope that even in small ways I help someone.

Poem #4 is about finding the positivity when it seems there is no hope. As a child and a teen I spent a lot of time walking around on nature trails. I loved those moments of observing nature. It always seemed to center me. But when I didn’t have time for a walk I would just stop where I was and look up at the stars for a minute and that was a decent substitute.

The post Poems Part Three first appeared on Gabrielle Stetz.

Can I just say, it is so incredibly difficult for me to choose what poems to post! Part of me scours my writing looking for a theme, striving for perfection. The other part of me thinks “Oh hell, be messy like life and just get your words out there!” So, here I am being messy and alive. Enjoy!

The sun shines in my windows just right
and sets the trees alight
The wind plays a tune only the trees dance to
and bird song makes it's debut
The mural changes with the seasons
each day giving me a reason
to look for the beauty we live in
and find my peace within
I think the universe knew
I need a room with a view
-Treetop Sanctuary

I finally built something safe
But I’m the only one here in this place
I could stay in this castle forever
Do anything I pleasure
But I’m putting up this door 
and hanging all this decor
Hoping my forever will walk in
and ask me “where have you been?”

I stand before you a beautiful
Universe
Of a 
Woman
But you will never know my depth
Cuz all you see is the 
Specimen
That my
Biological parts
Create
-I am more than my body

I opened my body to you
You promised to keep me safe
 Disrespect turned to destruction
I escaped
But you took a piece of me with you
-the truth

Listen to me
He
Took
Nothing
From 
You
He only made you think he did
-you’re still whole

Poem #1: I fought so long and hard to have a place of my own. I ended up in a third floor apartment in the suburbs. It is a unique unit because it doesn’t have a balcony. However, I have this giant window (and many other windows) with an amazing view of a bunch of trees. When you sit on the couch and look out the window, all you see are the treetops. I’ve always used nature to calm myself or to think. I feel like something/someone knew I needed everyday easy access to nature in my busy single mom life and I’m blessed to have it. A safe space that belongs to me with a reminder that there are beautiful things in the world even when it gets dark.

Poem #2: Going off of the previous poem, this one is also about my feelings of safety in my home with an added element of longing to share it with another adult. And the knowledge that there has to be a door for them to be able to walk past these walls I’ve put up.

Poem #3-5: The last three poems have a theme as well. Sexual abuse is one of those topics that has so many feelings around it. In the first poem I address the feeling of being used, lonely, and unknown. In the second, I approached the devastation that happens when the abuse comes from someone you thought you could trust the most and wondering if you’ll ever be whole again. The third and final poem is the confident finality in knowing that there is a life to keep on living and finding yourself again.

The post Poems Part Two first appeared on Gabrielle Stetz.

You never know where a writer will get their inspiration. It comes from the call of a particular bird they heard, the taste of a new dish, a street name, a co-worker’s personality, the list is endless. The smallest details can spark the greatest ideas. We also get inspiration from the words we consume. You have to read to write. You have to study the authors who came before you and learn the craft. I’ve been reading books for so long that I cant pin point one or even five particular influences on my fictional writing. What I can tell you, however, is where I got my poetic influence.

In 2016 “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur hit the New York Times Bestseller List. It took me 4 years to be convinced to jump on the bandwagon and finally get around to reading it. I was blown away by the power of her words and the feelings I had that she put on paper just right. It wasn’t always easy to read. Kaur’s writing includes triggers for sexual abuse, emotional abuse, depression, and anxiety. Just to name a few. She also writes about self-love and women empowerment. Some of her poems rhyme. Some do not. Some are long. Some are not. Some have hidden meanings. Some have meanings that punch you in the face. I thought to myself, “if poetry can be like that, I can do that.” And now, 2.5 years later I have over 40 poems written and Kaur has two more poetry books published. I was so hungry for more poets like Kaur that I went digging. I found Amanda Lovelace and her book, “The Princess Saves Herself In This One.” Lovelace puts a fairytale spin on triggering topics and also freeing topics like women empowerment. I’ve read and re-read all of their books countless times now.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Kaur came to Cleveland to do a poetry slam. I was a poetry slam virgin but HAD to go see her. I wanted to know what it was about. She read new poems and old ones, introducing each one with some background. Her presence grabbed your attention and held it. When she first came on stage, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much she looked like a celebrity in her emerald green velvet dress with the slit up the side and glittering jewelry. Seriously, I’ve never seen jewelry sparkle like that. But as the show went on, she started shifting her weight back and forth in her heels. The audience convinced her she didn’t need them and she did the rest of the show barefoot. It seems like a small thing but you could tell after that her shiny celebrity feel wore off and she felt like one of us. She even talked about her insecurity that she feels when her work is complimented like it was that night.

Below I’ve included some of my favorite poems by Rupi Kaur.

The post Where Inspiration Begins first appeared on Gabrielle Stetz.