Just to 'Be'

 

For some, home is a place

where they are free be exactly

who they are; where they

able to live their life according to

the dictates of their own heart,

without fear of retribution.

For others, it is just a concept:

a dream of shelter from their storm;

a place filled with hope

where they can be reborn.

In the cold dark night where monsters roam

and darkness threatens our very core,

let us look to the points of light to guide us

–like mariners of old on an endless sea–

to set us back upon the course

that allows for each to have their dream,

that allows the freedom just to be.

© Ginny Brannan 2025

One If By Land...

We are the sons and daughters of liberty;

we remain steadfast and diligent 

in honoring our legacy,

in maintaining our rights to life, 

liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

These are the times that test our resolve.

We have a choice of staying silent, staving ourselves

against the steady and sure breakdown of democracy,

as we watch the dismantling of our rights

and the destruction of all we know and hold dear.

We can give in to the demands from those

who wreak havoc against our core principles,

against the laws of God and country.

What do we do when governance declares themselves

not the protectors of law, but the law itself?

When they declare that we MUST toe their line,

and bow to a leader who cares not for the people

he pledged to protect, but only those 

who pledge their allegiance to him?

It seems we’ve been here before…
So hang your lanterns; ring your bells;
print your posters; share the truth.

Our forefathers understood the cost.

They taught us that It matters not 

should you fail or should you fall—

only that you rise again.

We draw our strength from history.

We know not how our story ends

but that each must do their part,

knowing we are duty-bound

to honor all who stood their ground.

© Ginny Brannan 2025

On the 250th Anniversary of the hanging of lanterns and the ride that changed the course of history, we must remember to never take liberty or democracy for granted.

A Good Day for "Tea"

 

Unstable, he teeters on wobbly ground
the earth is shifting all around him.

Truth doesn’t matter, it’s precarious at best,

and he won’t waiver once invested.

He’s never wrong he’s always right,

but damn, he won’t give up the fight!

Facts aren't necessary, he’s “in it to win it”

and who needs proof when you have experts?

When you surround yourself with rich men who

pledge allegiance just to you.

The problem with this stance, once taken

–where information is paramount–

is that you’re exposed to being “eaten;”

and even “kings” can lose their crown.

We’ve thrown the tea crates in the harbor.

When threatened, we’ll defend our ground.

Massachusetts will not cower;

and so it starts in Boston town.

When the dust clears, will it really matter?

What will history portray?

We dwell inside this pivotal moment,

it matters what we do today.

© Ginny Brannan 2025

As Trump threatens to block funding, Harvard University takes a stance, 

joined now by Yale, Brown, MIT, the University of Illinois,

Princeton, the California Institute of Technology, and more.

Newsweek article

Target Practice

May your objectives be honorable;
   your courage, unflappable;

   your intentions, unstoppable;

       and may your aim be true.

  ©  Ginny Brannan 2025

Truth or Dare

 

“Ask me no questions I’ll tell you no lies”

—or so the age-old saying goes.

Truth be told, I do not ‘lie’

you would see it in my eyes

so ask away, if you should dare.

I keep things to myself, it’s true;

taught early on to compromise

to share no more than “need to know;”

to never let “true feelings” show.

Perhaps I’ve offered you a clue,

perhaps I’ll sense by your reply

and finally be vilified–

but wonder, do you even care?

Perhaps you sense duplicity

 (perhaps just instability)

it would seem we’re quite the pair!

Around and ‘round and ‘round we go...

Who’ll blink first? I want to know.

So ask away, if you should dare

perhaps you’ll trap me, unaware–

to cede the “truth” that’s hidden there.

© Ginny Brannan 2025

Ghost Stories

 

You share your stories filled with ghosts 

your “what ifs” and your “coulda beens”

that left you with a heart in pain.

I see you and I raise you one:

my path could not have been more clear, 

until the day it disappeared.

My coulda/woulda/shoulda beens

fell victim to the shifting tides

where hope and hesitance collide.

Now we dance around each other’s words

–avoidance is a practiced art–

and hold back sharing any truth.

To stumble, worse, to crash and burn

is meant for others in their youth.

Dissolved, those castles made of sand,

long lost, the prince and maiden fair...

our innocence has been replaced:

we know too well the hidden tolls,
each tick mark carved out on our face.

I think the reason that we tarry

and write of angst and hidden pain

is a fence we build to guard what’s left

of a love we carry that is gone...

~ We can't be 'hurt' if we don’t respond ~

© Ginny Brannan 2025