Poem: Immigration

I actually started writing this poem sometime in 2017 and finished it in January 2020. A big part of my identity is being an immigrant. This poem was inspired by the hardships and struggles I’ve seen my parents and other immigrants go through. This poem was also inspired by the Trump administration and the xenophobia that was felt in my life during that time.

Here is an audio link to my family’s immigration story: https://www.mixcloud.com/rabbitbox/rb50-stranger-in-a-strange-land-immigration-stories-patricia-tacuri/

me in January 2020 when I finished this poem

immigration leads to discrimination
of immigrants into this so called united nation
the ones with brown skin and dark eyes
justice to them is greatly denied
xenophobia is the driving sensation

their bosses sing a song called exploitation
and they hum along to it to live in this democratic nation
they leave their language and culture behind
to endure the american lie
but donโ€™t quite fit into the gringo equation

Is their sacrifice worth so much separation
from their families, their language, and their nation?
Ah-America – the land of the free
yet none of them are truly free
living in a soulless and consumerist society

poetry: 2025

I wrote this poem in January of 2025.

the ultimate story of empowerment

In 2025, I will be braver than ever
I will embody the word empowerment
while embracing softness and vulnerability
I will love and allow myself to be loved
life is really too short to allow my ego
and pride to get in the way
of whatever love story the universe
wants to send me

poetry: is this it?

I wrote this poem in December of 2024.

me manifesting hard for this moment

found love where I least expected it
and when it happened
it felt like an earthquake where the ground
broke from under me
it felt like all of the hurt and pain experienced
before had been worth it
for the one waiting in the wings for me
as he sits by me and reassures me
when the world feels chaotic and overwhelming
He tells me Iโ€™m one of the best things
that happened to him
and has never made me feel less
or like a burden to him
and all of it still feels so strange to me
is this really happening to me?
or is it all a dream?
and I finally at the end of my marathon of lust and love
I have been running since the age of 15

poetry: left behind

I wrote this poem in December of 2024.

I used to find it romantic and endearing how in Hollywood stories
the protagonists triumphs over insurmountable obstacles
to find their happy endings
until I notice thereโ€™s always a third party whoโ€™s left behind
a third party whoโ€™s expendable and the cost
of the happy ending the protagonist are granted
it makes me wretched with empathy and feel grief for them
because too often, Iโ€™ve known what itโ€™s like to be left
for someone prettier, shinier, easier, MORE EXCITING
and I wonder if itโ€™s time to write stories about them
the third parties left behind who didnโ€™t make the cut
in their loverโ€™s love story

poetry: false start

I wrote this poem in December of 2023.

You were one of my false starts this year
it wasnโ€™t your fault though
I tend to get stars in my eyes
over any man who gives me attention,
And is equally emotionally unavailable

Itโ€™s a lethal combination for me
And even if I know better,
I always fall for it
except this time
I fell harder than usual
because youโ€™re also a man
who calls me out on my bullshit

poetry: damaged

I wrote this poem in December of 2023.

your boundaries are clear as spring water
I heard them between the gaps of silence
in our texts
you donโ€™t want to encourage any attention from me
or send mixed messages
so instead, you donโ€™t answer or initiate any conversations
and I donโ€™t blame you for this-
After all, I am batshit crazy, I wouldnโ€™t date me either
so I will no longer bother you
Iโ€™ll leave you alone
respect the professional boundaries and walls
you have erected
Take this as another sign from the universe
Iโ€™m still too damaged for another chance at love

poetry: letting go

I wrote this poem in December of 2024.

the day that inspired this poem

within a span of a few minutes, I became my dad and my son became me
he rolls his eyes at me as I give him practical advice on buying a car
is this place reputable?
think of the interest rate
how many miles are on it?
He loses his patience and accuses me of hovering over him
and for the first time I feel empathy and compassion for my dad
Understanding that this parenting gig isnโ€™t easy
and no matter how grown your kids are
Itโ€™s hard to let them go and live life according to their own terms

poetry: new muse

I wrote this poem in December of 2023.

not sure when a new muse will appear
I just gave up on my most recent one
I can take a hint
heโ€™s not interested
heโ€™s scared because Iโ€™m too crazy
and will fuck up his life
and maybe heโ€™s right
maybe Iโ€™m not healed enough,
not intelligent enough
maybe for him Iโ€™m just not enough
and this doesnโ€™t make me angry
Iโ€™m in the acceptance phase
Iโ€™ll no longer bother him
Iโ€™ll just let him be
Iโ€™ll just wait for a new muse to appear
out of nowhere from my dreams
into my real life
my manifestation game is strong
though sometimes my aim is off

poetry: shipwrecks

I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

Like shipwrecks in a cavern, somehow we came together
putting bandaids of lust to sooth and cover our loneliness
causing chaos and rejecting each other
only to always come back to each other
and it was entertaining for a while
until we both realized it was a waste of time and energy
and fled to different caverns

poesรญa: condesita

escribรญ este poema en diciembre del 2024.

me at age 9

magneto y locomรญa sale de la tele
mi tรญo me llamaba su condesita y mi tรญa me llamaba linda
y me rรญo porque รบltimamente me siento como una extraรฑa en mi cuerpo
y mami y sus hermanas me dicen que me estoy volviendo una seรฑorita
pero lo รบnico que veo es un monstruo fea y gorda en el espejo
y quisiera ser delgadita y fina como mis primas
pero por lo menos mi tรญo y mi tรญa no me miran asรญ
me miran como un tesoro bello y valioso

poetry: my muse

I wrote this poem in December of 2021

I met him outside on a hot July night
he was everything I was not looking for
but it was a devastatingly short fall
and then I was lost in him
and everything I wanted him to be
It wasnโ€™t fair to him or I
expectations that were sky high
with him I wanted everything
but he wasnโ€™t ready to be my love king
Perhaps he was just a preview
for a future love dream come true

poetry: the muse

I wrote this poem in December of 2020.

The words, the phrases, the sentences seep from me
when I think of you, my muse

Words of hate, words of love,
Words of devastation, words of lust

You inspire everything that is great,
You inspire everything that I hate

Spilled phrases about my desire for you
and my disgust for you fills pages of my journal

I hate him, I love him, I canโ€™t live without him
Phrases that bleed from my our toxic love af

poetry: regret

I wrote this poem in December of 2019.

I see your face in my mind
and all I feel is your regret
for the time wasted on you

Regret
for sharing my vulnerability with you

Regret
For the tears that you never deserved

Regret
For the energy I put into us

Regret
That I ignored your red flags

Regret
For the fucks I canโ€™t take back

Regret
For memories I canโ€™t erase

Regret
For wasting my love
on a waste of space human being

below is the Spanish Translation

three poems about my political views

taking an oath to Trump was traumatic -ew
Daily writing prompt
How have your political views changed over time?

new America

are we going in time with our lack of rights
with prejudices more overt-
this is suppose to be a first world country
and yet no one is safe
sending my child to school
i pray heโ€™ll come back in one piece
going to work
I hope a mentally ill or disgruntled employee
doesnโ€™t walk in with revenge in his mind
and a gun in his hand
and iโ€™m even afraid of sex
birth control isnโ€™t fool proof
and Iโ€™d be forced to carry an oops
are we going to back in time
or is this the new America?

apathetic voter

full of apathy-i no longer have the faith and hope in government I once had
iโ€™m starting to think that renouncing my homeland was a waste to become an American
thinking my vote counted for something, that it meant something
aside from the ease of traveling
my situation is still the same
a working class reality where Iโ€™m still struggling
a high functioning mental case doing her best to survive
in a country that thrives on capitalism

polls

must I go to the polls and vote?
everyone tells me I must
to maintain my rights and for my future
but lately I feel apathetic about it all-
feeling Iโ€™ve never made a difference
feeling like itโ€™s so much bullshit
but since Iโ€™ve heard Nazi sympathizers are in this race
and Iโ€™m an other
Iโ€m forced to go to the stupid polls
for mine and my loved ones survival

these poems are from 2022 and I’m more disillusioned than ever with the government. I’ve always leaned towards being a liberal/democrat and while I’ll still go out there and vote for whatever is deemed the “lesser evil”, I absolutely hate that we don’t have a third option that’s way more humane. And for anyone who thinks, “well, you should go back to your country”, at this point, I am working on having that as an option in the near future. Going back to Peru last year and this year has given me a new perspective about everything my parents gave up to immigrate to this country and it’s overwhelming because it was a lot. While I understand their reasons and while Peru does not have the most stable government either, the quality of life there seems better in a lot of ways.โ€‚Who knows what will happen next year with the elections but I’m making sure my kids have their passports and I keep my connections with family and friends in Peru.

poetry: silly dream

I wrote this poem in November of 2022.

fr fr

when no one is watching I manifest a new lover-
Iโ€™m tired of solitude, Iโ€™m tired of crying from loneliness
so I dream about him, I write about him
and I pray that he appears
and while I tell myself itโ€™s ok if he doesnโ€™t exist
and itโ€™s just one of my many silly dreams
secretly I want him to become a reality
I just want to know what itโ€™s like for once
to be loved and accepted for the complicated
Woman that I am