I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

warm and wild thoughts go through my mind
if only you looked my way one day
and saw me as an object of desire
ugh, itβs that time again
I must be ovulating
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

You wonβt always be safe but you will make it
at an early age-youβll learn resilience before you can walk
It will most useful lesson learned
never forget you are strong, you are brave,
you are enough
tolerating and surviving the horrible heat
of the metal brace placed on your little legs
so you can fit into society
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

The moon guards and protects me as I lose my sanity
as I drink too much
as I search for someoneβs touch
the moon sends the Goddess
with a message of awareness
and I wake up from my trance of self destruction
and start an inner healing revolution
my purpose was never to be diminished and objectified
it was my judgment gone awry
and I try respect and worth on for size
my beauty is not all there is to me
Iβm a mosaic of intelligence, love, and creativity
never a barbie to be treated as a reward or trophy
I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

soon weβll be back to business as usual
obsessing over taylor and travis
clicking on clickbait about ben and jen
finding another celebrity to cancel
over some politically incorrect crime
of their past
soon weβll go back to business to usual
as mothers still mourn their children
over another violent tragery
that never should have happened
soon weβll go back to business as usual
as my son and his friends are hypervigilant
over anything suspicious
at 13, this world has taken away their innocence
soon weβll go back to business as usual
as we go back to our stupid jobs
whether thatβs a 9 to 5 office setting
or back breaking labor
as if evil didnβt happen at our communityβs door
soon weβll go back to business as usual
and Iβll write another poem about unrequited love
or the ex I dreamt about last night
soon weβll go back to business as usual
except this time Iβll carry a when and where
in back of my mind
waiting for it to happen again
I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

I never did get my happily ever after
but I did get my happily divorced after
and a year after it was all done
and signed by the judge
I feel gratitude for solitude
and breathe a sigh of relief
that I wonβt settle ever again
for fear of being lonely
never again will I ever allow
Societal pressure to write my lifeβs
Narrative
and never again will I stay somewhere
Past the expiration date
because of fear or for the sake of appearances
I never did get my happily ever
but I did get my happily divorced after
and life feels joyous and glorious
and I am the most empowered version
of myself

Tell us about a time when you felt out of place.
the ceilings of America are laced with poison ivy
every time I act out of the norm or forget to code switch
people tell me Iβm too dramatic -ouch-
accused of being toxic and crazy-damn
and a rash of doubt takes over my mind
Iβll never fit it, no one will ever love or accept me
and I turn down who I am
but even that doesnβt work
it makes things worse
and I explode and project-
fuck you, youβre blocked
then I discover therapy -slowly I heal
accept the pieces of myself that will never fit in
exhibit myself in my most authentic form
and slowly the poison ivy becomes an ivy of love and growth
and I understand that to be happy
I need let go of normalcy
and embrace my unconventional and eccentric self
I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

I tell my son Iβm proud of you
and heβs like why, because Iβm alive
I nervously laugh even though
my heart aches over what he said
Why does America like to play
Russian roulette with its children
Why canβt I have a normal conversation with
my kid over too much screen time
and reminding him to brush his teeth
instead of conversation over what
he should do in a mass shooting
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

I feel left out by my friends and I cry and whine
βthey hate me, Iβm not good enough for themβ
my voice of reason tells me
βit will be okay, you donβt need themβ
itβs my sister
I break down in the middle of the sidewalk
and cry and scream
βIβm unworthy of love, Iβll be alone foreverβ
my voice of reason tells,
βthatβs not true, you just need to focus on you booβ
Itβs my son
my voice of reason has comforted me and loved me unconditionally
my voice of reason keeps me from going under
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

my mother tells me to dress modestly
no loud lipstick, short skirts,tight or revealing clothing
I represent my family and currency in my country
is prestige and social status-
so I need to dress like the hija del ingeniero-
it’s the remnants my parents hold on to from their former lives
so Iβll put on my mask of seΓ±ora de la sociedad
pretend I care about trivial things
mask my true identity of being a socialist, a feminist, and a crazy bitch
Itβs the least I can do for the people who sacrificed themselves
for a better life for me
I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

this time it hits too close to home
this time it feels like a matter of when
in America my children learn run, duck, and cover
before learning to spell the word βGunβ
but this is the deck of cards dealt to all of parents
living in America
safety in schools is an illusion long gone
since the days of Columbine
but with each massacre we all break a little more
and our anxiety skyrockets even more
the closer this epidemic gets to us
this time Iβll hug my teenager as tightly as possible
when he gets home, even as he rolls his eyes at me
and says, βewβthis time I allow my fury and rage
at this continued senseless violence to pour out of me
and on paper
collective and personal grief covers me
accepting once again, no matter what I do
or how hard I try or how much I love my child
I canβt shelter him, I canβt protect him
from the epidemic of violence in this country
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

the prodigal daughter returns to a homeland that she barely remembers
itβs been 32 years since she stepped foot on Peruvian soil
and this feeling is unworldly-indescribable-unimaginable
she was a child when she left
never quite understanding the whys or hows of her familyβs immigration journey
in her adopted homeland, she suffered through hardships and failures
but the ancestors always protected her
from drowning in the immense waves of chaos and disasters, she ended up being tossed in
and sheβll go to their graves and pay reverence to them for shielding her from danger
the prodigal daughter returns, and she feels nostalgia rushing into her body and mind
she is finally where she belongs
I wrote this poem in August of 2024.

the storms this summer have been intense and scary
Some days I had to run for cover, other days I ended up
saturated in self hate
the storms this summer tried desperately to tear me apart
ruin my reputation
everyone watched me waiting for me to turn into
a trainwreck
but instead I do what I always do
rise out of the ashes most triumphantly
I wrote this poem in August of 2024.

In Faro, magic took place
In Faro, Liv lost her mind
trying to conform
to Ingmarβs vision
of serenity and love
In Faro, Liv and Ingmarβs
story of love started with
silences, longing glances
and art made on the beach
with Godly cinematography
In Faro, Liv felt constricted,
restrained and isolated
and had Ingmarβs love child
In Faro, Liv tried for a year
to salvage a relationship
that was far beyond repairable
and in Faro, Liv put up
her white flag and decided
she couldnβt waste any more
of her life on something
that was never going to work
so she took her daughter
and left
the man, the life she thought
was going to be her forever

people wonder how I do it all
two jobs, three kids, the stream of poetry
and still finding time for friends
and honestly sometimes i donβt know
perhaps its because iβm crazy
and have the determination to live
to live the fullest life I have
even within the limits I have
maybe I donβt to waste a single minute
of regret wishing I could have done that
or this like I used to and now just do
Iβm no longer a woman of mere words
Iβm a woman of actions
8/28/23