I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

thereβs no need to be anyone but you-
you are a love child of God
who sends angels in the form of ancestors
to protect and guide you
I wrote this poem in August of 2023.

the outline of her body in the middle of the road-
told the most tragic of stories
she wasnβt looking when she crossed the street
she was lost in her thoughts
and the driver speeding didnβt see her
and splat went her body
death came quickly to her
her last thought was mission accomplished
but the world thought
another victim of an unexpected and tragic circumstance
I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

in my literary war chest lies a lifetime of love failures,
insecurities about motherhood and confusion about my identity
in my literary war chest lies unfiltered thoughts about grief
for everything I never was and potential unfulfilled
in my literary war chest lies the answers to how I survived
Catastrophe after catastrophe-
In my literary war chest lies proof of my strength and resilience
in the worst of times
I wrote this poem in July of 2023.

she thinks she should be thanked for flexing her confidence
clothed in privilege and luxury by posting advice to women
about how dining alone in a fancy restaurant is womenβs empowerment
and I have an adverse reaction that makes me want to vomit
it feels like a modern day Marie Antoniette moment
perhaps itβs because Iβm a working class immigrant woman
who struggles in America
perhaps itβs because the rights of the marginalized and working class
are being ripped away from us
and on my social media feed, this yuppie and elitist bullshit appears
how can I be friends with this bleached blonde Barbie
oh yeah, we worked together briefly
and I almost start to comment with an essay on how she should
check her privilege before handing out tokens of toxic positivity
while people like me are drowning in debt and lack financial stability
but I stop
this barbie isnβt worth my time or energy
itβs time to unfriend and unfollow the marie antoinette wannabe
who only serves to trigger my working class rage
who serves to remind of the injustice and inequality
in this capitalistic and racist American society
I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

my hearts expands wishing nothing but the best for my exes
I hope that one guy got to recovery and heβs settled with a nice girl
he met at church and they live somewhere in the country
I pray that one dude found someone nice and calm like him
to share a life with
I wish the latest one found someone whoβs not crazy
heβs in love someone who brings stability and routine to his life
but most of all, I wish all of them to live their lives authentically and with purpose
I wrote this poem in June of 2023.

As I let go of my limiting beliefs,
I grieve the woman I used to be
so insecure and unsure of herself
so hesitant to take control and power
Overthinking and catastrophizing constantly
it held me back from living the life of my dreams-
Jealousy and envy filled me up
Scrolling the professional and personal successes
of others on social media
Thinking, βthat could have been meβ
and giving too much important to the opinions of others
wondering constantly-
βare they judging me?β
It was an toxic story I told myself since the age of 16
and it continued on and on until one day in my middle age
I exploded and decided to fight my inner critic
and challenge everything I thought was wrong with me
slowly I learned to turn my story around
Slowly I went from victim to heroine
I wrote this poem in May of 2023.

not every day can be filled with peace, calm, joy or excitement
Some days are absolutely shitty and depressing
Some days itβs hard to get up in the morning
without screaming fuck repeatedly on your way to work
Some days are overwhelming to push through
as hormones and emotions fuck you up
Some days are for questions your life choices over
and over again allowing doubt and insecurity
to cloud you its accomplice self invalidation
Some days are for getting up only to look forward to the end of it
when you can sleep with the hope for a better day
I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

Relief comes after a nap on Christmas day
I woke up with so much joy and warmth in my heart
I feel like Iβm standing on top of a mountain Iβve been climbing forever
A mountain climb thatβs had a most treacherous uphill
and loaded with many obstacles Iβve stumbled and fallen from many times
but the universe, God presented me this gift of contentment for my life
the understanding that everything had to happen for this reason
to live in my childhood dreams of having my own family
who brings me love and purpose every day of my existence
I wrote this poem in April of 2023.

I almost drowned in a whirlpool of shame today because I made a mistake
because Iβm an imperfect human
but I breathe in deeply self compassion and grace
and accept this is a small blunder in my life
and it shouldnβt take up too much space in my mind
And I needed to be a friend to myself
Understand I wonβt always be flawless-
Afterall Iβm only mortal
I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

pride and ego keeps us from speaking our truths
we donβt want to be perceived as crazy or as a basket case
and we suppress, suppress, suppress-
only speaking with cordiality and respectability
when we should really cut through the bullshit
and let every unfiltered thought make it to paper
so we donβt drown in anxiety and depression
regretting everything thatβs never been said
I wrote this poem in March of 2023.

When I tell you Iβm a poet-
please take me seriously
donβt think Iβm some cute girl
who writes a few verses in her room
about how your kiss is a new kind of heaven
Poetry for me has a much deeper meaning,
poetry is how I bleed out all of my emotions
I hold within
When I tell you Iβm a poet-
please donβt laugh at me or mock me
donβt berate the simplicity of my words
I weave into verse
Itβs how I make sense of my explosion of thoughts
Itβs how I express what I canβt say out loud
When I tell you Iβm a poet-
donβt try to cure me of my poetic nature
and prey on my insecurities and try to kill
my dreams of making my art seen
I know how the odds are stacked against
someone like me
I donβt do it to make it to the mainstream-
I do it so other women like me
can be seen, can be inspired to dream
And finally when I tell you Iβm a poet-
Appreciate the artist in me,
make yourself a sanctuary to put my poetry in-
Iβm not asking for endless compliments or an ego boost
Iβm asking for a safe space in you to love
the poet I hold within
I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

On days when Iβm hopeful about love-
my laugh is lighter, my smile is brighter,
my thoughts are the color of the sky
thinking of the endless possibilities
of how Iβll be loved and the many places
me and my future somebody will go-
while my cringy playlists play on the car radio
and the many discussions or fights that might happen
because one of us said the wrong thing
or one of us wonβt admit we got lost
Iβm still hopeful though
keeping in mind that conflict is also part of how weβll evolve
I wrote this poem in February of 2023.

Iβm graduating from writing about revenge and everyone who has harmed me
Iβm switched this narrative from woman scorned and full of spite
To a woman reborned opened to love and joy in life
While itβs fun to be petty and mean
Itβs better for me to reclaim the corny romantic in me
the one Iβve kept hidden for 18 months
the one who cries at the end of rom coms
the one whoβs desperate to fall in love again
to continue this narrative about how Iβm in love with my solitude
no longer suits me
when I have a universe of love to give
I wrote this in January of 2023.

when my inner bitch wakes up and rises-you better watch out
I have no scruples, I have no morals
my wrath has no limits
Iβll come after you with my words
call you out for hurting me or my loved ones
Iβll forget everything I learned in therapy
about compassion, about forgiveness
I wonβt just act like a woman scorned
Iβll act like a villain in a horror movie
out for revenge
I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

I could be the poster child for love fiascos-
I love too fast, and too hard-
Iβm the fool of the tarot
risking everything even my sanity for love-
getting caught up in feelings and magic
being delusional that somehow it could work out
even when the red flags scream at me-
I say fuck it-I switch off the logic button in me
and go all in