In bridging the gaps of my story that have remained unresolved every story, every poem leads to pieces of healing and closure Iβve been desperately search for since I can remember Whatever my child self , my teenage self couldnβt voice back then My middle age self brings to the surface and while at times itβs difficult and terrifying itβs needed in the process of healing and evolving
nachos and cheese makes my tummy oh so happy satisfies my craving for something salty my taste buds are greatly aroused as the cheese melts in my mouth and I grow dizzy with glee becoming a victim to my gluttony my taste buds grow greedy for more even my blood pressure soars
we gather here tonight to share the most vulnerable parts of ourselves through poems written on a whim, in cars, inspired by dreams and tragedies and everything in between some of it will be meaningful some of it will be nonsense most of the time, it will be someone trying to make sense of the world with a few phrases and sentences clumsily strung together and calling it poetry
that time I was too distracted thinking about my crush that I had a little fender bender
You must be a magician because you make me feel things Iβve shut the door to, you make me want to write the most terrible and cringy poems about love you must be a magician because I canβt stop thinking about you because even though I said never again here I am obsessing over another man
take me on a tour of your utopia the one you always talk about the one where mental illness doesnβt exist and we all go to sleep without the need of meds and sleepytime tea the one where everyone is respected and being different is celebrated and not used as fodder for insults or war
you donate to endless non profits, sit on boards of organizations that want to bridge communities together, you volunteer at the soup kitchen or as a mentor for underprivileged at risk kids you share your stories of trauma and you do all of this telling yourself I want to help others I want to be a healing light this cesspool of a world desperately needs and despite dozens of explanations Iβll ask you are you doing it to help others or are you doing it to fuel your ego? are you doing out of the purest of intentions to make a difference or to make yourself feel better about your mediocre first world privilege existence?
Reddit wants to make sure Iβm real and not a spam bot and even I ask myself this today as I feel completely numb as I feel like my emotions are turned off And Iβm a new kind of mellow the kind of mellow thatβs a zombie functioning and existing with a stoic demeanor feeling completely detached from who I truly am over medicated and toned down to barely subtle static and white noise Is this what itβs like to be normal?
blankness spills across her pretty face no distinction between her and the marble her hands and feet are still watches herself say the right words and make the appropriate gestures nothing makes sense in this moment rage burns inside of her she smiles and nods politely as they talk about the weather
the downpour from this morning made me uber emotional driving through a flood, trying to not lose control of my car and with God by my side and Olivia Rodrigo on the radio I made it to work the downpour didnβt stop and my coworker mentioned it was an upside world when the morning looks like evening and the dreadful weather triggered the on switch to my depression and out pours the thoughts about grief and death the downpour of my emotions started and nothing could stop it
me in my luchadoras gear ready to go into my second job
I channel the luchadoras before me the ones who had to work in the chacras to provide for their families, the ones who had to work with their bare hands to build generational wealth the ones who survived infidelities, abuse, and tragedies and still came out on top as Queens the ones who never had the option to lay down and princess to be doted on, be taken care of they had to become working class luchadoras for the betterment of themselves and their families
aol chatrooms serves her purpose for attention and validation slowly Lacy become a love junkie with a combo of low self worth and undiagnosed mental illness she never feels like sheβs enough so she uses her beauty and her body to search of wholeness no one thinks to stop her or monitor what sheβs doing online has plenty of dates with strange men in parking lots at 16, she feels on top of the world sneaking hits of lust After school and on weekends using her friends to cover for her never thinking of the consequences and always living for the moment
I wrote this poem in January of 2024 for my friend Rosie who died in 2023.
me right after I wrote this poem
it was a wintry and rainy day in Georgia when last goodbyes were exchanged between you and and your boys you were thousands of miles away in Texas, in your hospice bed I imagine you were full of peace in your last conscious moments finding comfort in your faith and accepting this was part of Godβs plan but I-I carried rage that you were leaving everyone behind rage your husband would become a widower, rage your sons would grow up without a mom rage for the grief of everyone who would have to live without you rage that on the 29th of June, there wouldnβt be a random happy birthday from you for William, Miguel and all of the babies in our July mommy group born on that date rage that I didnβt get to know you better and that rage broke my brain, and I drove without a destination maybe it was your spirit that led me back to the safety of my boys but almost a year later I still carry that rage of how I donβt understand why God took you you who still had more than love to give and receive you who was the warmth of a sunny day in human form What was the purpose of your sudden departure?
this is inspired by the 2006 poem, “did I ask for your advice”
well meaning unsolicited advice and opinions from others Made me feel like I was a failure like I wasnβt doing enough to better myself it always comes after a life changing event- a new baby, marriage, and most recently my divorce In my 20s it drove me crazy In my 40s I nod, smile, take whatever is helpful and move on