What can I write about California
sun
rocks
sand
blooming flowers year-round
waxy succulents of every size
determined shrubs with thorn-like twigs
What can I write about the soothing clicking of palm leaves rustling in the wind
bold seagulls
spying
searching
soaring
dark fins of dolphins
slipping through rolling blue-green water
water stretching past the horizon
What can I write about the soundtrack of crashing waves
a comforting affirmation whispered over and over
the cascading curves of water
like a woman twirling in a flowing skirt
trimmed with frothy white lace
What can I write about the tide
that pulls
and pulls
and pulls
How it seems to pull out my sorrow, my pain
How I am found when lost in its current
How this water lifts me
and I am a child
embraced by the strong arms of a fearless parent
How good it feels to be carried
to let go of making decisions, directing steps
let go of any destination
any time but this moment
to feel the need to control release its panicked grip on my heart
How this baptism tastes like salt
as I am engulfed in each wave
as I am reborn
rising from the water with a gasp
reborn sinless
free
© SincerelyJoanWrites
May 23
May 23, 2026 at 3:52 PM UTC
what to do when the free fall starts
when the brakes fall apart
slipping
sliding
tripping
no stopping
what to do in quicksand
pulled under by a hundred hands
gravity winning on slippery landscape
fingernails splintering as they scrape
what to do when the want won’t stop
when the body won’t forget the spot
where he touched your skin
causing the free fall to begin
what to do with this heart
falling fast
falling apart
what to do when you crave
and chase
and behave
like an addict needing a fix
lovesick
so lovesick
© 2026 SincerelyJoanWrites
May 2
May 2, 2026 at 9:44 PM UTC
My time
You want more of it
Because you will be moving away
Because your days here are numbered
Leaving your texts unread
I can’t find the courage to tell you
Those are the very reasons
I’m pulling back
Retreating into my shell
Taking my time with me
© 2026 SincerelyJoanWrites
May 2
May 2, 2026 at 10:32 AM UTC
there are broken pieces of me
I work hard to hide
except with him
without judgement or criticism
he holds all of me
without expectation of change
he shows up
there are broken pieces of him
underneath the charm
when we are alone
without surrendering myself
I embrace him entirely
without expectation of change
I hold him close
two broken halves
may not look perfect
but they can fit together
well enough
fill in the jagged gaps
well enough
to make pleasure, joy
a sense of belonging
two broken pieces
can fit together well enough
to feel a lot like love
a lot like finally being whole
Mar 26
Mar 26, 2026 at 10:20 PM UTC
I can be the one
who says she doesn’t need a man
then
holds her breath
waiting for his text back
I can be the one
who savors her solitude
then
drives late at night
in bad weather
just to sleep next to him
I can be the one
who resents the gender pay gap
then
looks expectantly at her date
when the dinner bill arrives
I can be the one
who wants monogamy
but not the ring
the relationship
but not the label
I can be the one
who denies the existence
of romantic love
then falls
deeper
and harder
than ever before
Mar 16
Mar 16, 2026 at 3:36 PM UTC
I’ve come unmoored
Unsure
Unfocused
Unsettled
I can’t decide the best path
In a landscape so new
Living in limbo
Wanting more
Wanting less
All at the same time
My past begs me to shut down
Pull back
Give up
Retreat
My scars whisper ominous predictions of future pain
More time together means certain doom
If he sees me more, he’ll see my flaws
And start to hate me
He’ll get mean
He’ll look at me with disgust
His irritation will boil over
The stakes feel too high
going through that a second time
would break me for good
I need to be good on my own
I am good on my own
But then those sweet moments of unalone
They crack open something inside me
Something I thought was lost
A need I am scared to face
What if the safety of solitude isn’t worth missing out on the highs of togetherness
As my one true love grows up
Needing me less and less
Wanting my time less and less
I’m desperate to fill that void
I feel myself floundering
But
I don’t believe in love
I don’t believe in love
I don’t believe in love
What do I need to anchor me in this world
Will I blow away, an insignificant leaf
if I don’t tie myself to a partner
I was flying high and free
Didn’t realize how cold I was
Until his warm arms held me
Like a divine lullaby
His voice vibrated against my cheek
The thrill of him wanting me
Woke up a need in me, an aching need
A need that unsettles me
And steals my sleep
And leaves me longing
for touch
for more
Can I continue to satisfy this need without losing my peace
Why must every pleasure come with a cost
Does every pleasure come with a cost
What am I doing
What should I do next
Is it even up to me
It feels it is time to sink or swim
Floating to survive is no longer an option
© 2026 SincerelyJoanWrites
Feb 15
Feb 15, 2026 at 9:06 AM UTC
On this bitterly cold subzero morning
I want to write you a poem
Powerful enough to penetrate through bundled up layers
The choicest words lined up just so
Into a collection of perfect kindling
Creating a warmth that grows
And spreads
And fills
Like a belly full of hot cocoa
On this bitterly cold subzero morning
I want my penned verse
To thaw hardened judgements
To inspire Spring
To transform your eyes to see the verdant landscape beneath the ice
To illuminate a path of renewal so irresistible
You step away from this frozen tundra of your choosing
Away from bitterness
And hate
Into the peaceful dawn of empathy
Kindness
Love
Oh, if I could only write a poem more powerful than your bitter, cold world
It would change everything
If only
© 2026 SincerelyJoanWrites
Jan 31
Jan 31, 2026 at 9:33 AM UTC
I hear the numbness in her monotone voice
the lack of affect in her face as she recounts
the shock
the betrayal
the Herculean effort of each next step she must take
Looking into her slow-blinking eyes
as she recounts telling their children
I recall how heartbreak can turn one into an automaton
I, too, have been the wartime nurse
applying pressure to bleeding wounds
while the man responsible for the carnage
is AWOL
I give her the name of my divorce lawyer
I send her daily affirmations
words of encouragement
humorous anecdotes
to help her find the escape of laughter
to remind her
she—source of life—is still alive
I will continue to show up in the waiting room of her trauma
bearing witness to her metamorphosis
from trampled caterpillar to butterfly
with razor-sharp wings of shiny steel
I will spread thick warpaint upon her bruised cheeks
summoning the strength of all women warriors
whisper into her ear to harness it
this burning fury rising up within her
I’ll hold up a mirror to her emerging power
her beautiful, bullet-proof resiliency
remind her she will not drown in this man-made disaster
No, she will not drown
for her numb heart will heal
and as her feelings return
she will find strength has replaced weakness
she will realize
she is not choking on salty water of violent waves
she will discover
she is, in fact, the motherf*cking hurricane
© 2026 SincerelyJoanWrites
Jan 10
Jan 10, 2026 at 6:12 PM UTC