Play the Fool
All great things began with a trying fool. Continue reading Play the Fool
Tag: spirituality
The Bird of Madonna
Ailsa Gillies reflects on the mother-child bond through the eyes of a bird after visiting the Ufizzi Gallery in Florence. The Bird of Madonna is a soft reflection on how a mother’s devotion can become self-sacrificial, until the child learns to tend its own wounds. Continue reading The Bird of Madonna
Inherited Goods
Is it better to be good or honest? Ailsa Gillies reflects on the lineage of ‘good’ people that have come before her, noting that self-sacrifice is not romantic, but a quiet stirring of resentment and grief. Continue reading Inherited Goods
I almost abandoned myself
“If I can’t find where I belong in the world, then I’m going to create it.”
An honest account of almost giving up, of fear, doubt, and the quiet resilience it takes to walk a path of your own making. Continue reading I almost abandoned myself
Crystallised Self
A poetic follow-on from Prodigal Son, a dialogue with a shedding persona, Ailsa Gillies makes an empowered declaration of what it means to embody the Self. Continue reading Crystallised Self
Every Body Knows
Going from “if only” to “I am”, this poem moves from frustration and separation to reunion and liberation with the body. Ailsa Gillies celebrates her body for its wisdom during a small bout of illness. Continue reading Every Body Knows
Woman, you are
A poem born in the midst of Storm Amy, Ailsa Gillies speaks to the maiden, the mother and the crone. An ode to the grieving, evolving and forgotten women. Continue reading Woman, you are
Bargaining My Soul
This poem captures the tension experienced on what Robert Frost called ‘The Road Less Travelled’. Ailsa Gillies dialogues with the soul when she takes it to auction. Continue reading Bargaining My Soul
The Price of Pomegranates
Transformation. Death and rebirths. The duality of beauty and pain. The messiness that comes with ‘pomegranates’, the metaphor for a life rich with experience.
These are all the things that Ailsa Gillies explores in this visceral and raw piece of lyrical prose. Continue reading The Price of Pomegranates
Lilac & Lemon
This poem explores the eternal bond between sisters, rooted deeply in the fabric of time. It navigates the themes of unconditional love, shared history, and the interconnectedness of all life—whether through blood, roots, or stories by the fire. Continue reading Lilac & Lemon
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