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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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
There’s a child in you, and it’s waiting for you to ask: Who am I? Ailsa Gillies’s lyrical prose flows like the words of a wise guide, urging you to reconcile with your inner child to find your purpose. Continue reading Inner Child
Suspended above the earth, Ailsa Gillies met the moon—its silvery whispers felt like an old friend. In its quiet glow, she saw something larger than herself, and from it, flowed this piece of lyrical prose. Continue reading Eye to luminous eye
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