I wrote this poem in October of 2025.

letβs take a midnight flight to Tokyo and get lost in Japan
like that Shawn Mendes song
letβs eat great sushi if there is such a thing
and pretend weβre 15 again
and so free spirited and carefree
I wrote this poem in October of 2022.

in 1821, my homeland gained independence from the Spanish crown
who subjugated my people to their whims of supremacy and colonizing ways
200 years later,they celebrated their independence
while, I, their daughter gained my independence from societyβs chains
wrapped up in patriarchal and sexist good intentions
I wrote this poem in October of 2025.

as the leaves turn crisp, I find myself reminiscent of the many women Iβve been
excited for the version of me thatβs to come
understanding I was always right
to continue on and trust the process
understanding this heroineβs journey of mine
was indeed worth it
I wrote this poem in October of 2025.

I dig and dig from the skeletal remains of my familyβs lore to make art out of it
to pay tribute to my ancestors and my family hates me for it
because no one is sanctified or worshipped in my stories
everyone is shown as who theyβve been
flawed individuals with mistakes made
with self induced tragedies, with victims
and generational curses left and passed down to us
I wrote this poem in October of 2025.

the happiest week of my life happened a year ago
when I broke my two year celibacy vow and landed
in my situationshipβs bed and felt stupidly hopeful
we could have a new beginning where a toxic love story
could be redeemed
where I saw my favorite singer performed all the songs
that had been the soundtrack to my healing
that week everything seemed possible and that love
could rise from the ashes of past crashed
and setting into something full of promise
and potential for fairytale ending
I wrote this poem in 2019 when I got into a fight with a friend because he was cruel to one of my friends. After this fight, we didn’t talk for 2 years but we ended up reconnecting in the summer of this year.

βControl myselfβ, he said as I called out his misogyny
his fragile ego couldnβt handle hard truths thrown at him
he thinks that he has a license to offend
because of the organ between his legs and the pale color of his skin-
He thinks that Iβm wrong for not sitting still and silent
He thinks that I have no right to stand up for myself
βControl myselfβ, he said to and βfuck offβ I replied to him
you wonβt ever be able to control a woman like me
I wrote this poem in October of 2025.

compasses, faded maps, stereos, VCRS, corded phones
all relics of another era
when we werenβt one click away from seeking validation
from our peers or the news trying to break us with each headline
simpler times when we could ignore
what was happening around us
escribΓ este poema en septiembre del 2022.

los susurros de mi alma me dicen
que por fin me acepto como soy
que por fin me entiendo completamente
que por fin siento un agradecimiento
por una vida llena de dos lenguajes
dos culturas y dos hogares
soy la hija de nacimiento de PerΓΊ
y la hija adoptiva de AmΓ©rica
soy la sangre de los Incas
con la mentalidad de Washington