I breathe in America I exhale out Peru Iβm distant, cold, and reserved at times Iβm warm, nurturing and dramatic at times I was born in Peru, land of the Incas land of the conquistadores and have the blood of both run through my veins along with their determination and fortitude I was raised for most of my life in America and lost part of my language and culture and gained an individualistic American mindset I breathe in America, I exhale out Peru never had a choice in this bicultural existence
I found love and it wasnβt at a bar or an app I found it on the soil I was born on, I found it in the embrace of my homeland I found it in welcome from everyone I met and reconnected with I found it in the accent I never had I found love as the prodigal daughter of my country I hadnβt seen in 32 years
as summer wanes, and the days gets shorter and cool air welcomes me in the morning I feel a magnitude of gratitude and grief for this summer gratitude for all of the time spent with friends, for the poetry written, for all the growth that happened and grief for the vacation not taken, for the depression that paused me at various points, for the things not accomplished and as the leaves turn, I wonder about I could have if only I hadnβt struggled with mental illness
the plane slowly takes off and I take flight with it I leave behind past troubles,past trauma and go on an adventure to find healing and the best version of myself
last time I saw her, she was on her 5th husband she didnβt know how to be alone, stand up on her own always needed a man by her side and even as she aged and her looks waned she had her aryan blonde blue eyed looks to get her by it was a crystalized existence something about her frozen in time someone had never taught her that alone she was enough
and the roses never wilted, they just transformed into flowers never seen before for a while it looked like they were dying as they slowly turned gray and then black but then they bloomed into something different, a unique kind of beautiful
look at that Goddess, very awkward, very full of herself
gratitude taste like mamiβs sopa de pollo gratitude smells like my loverβs cologne gratitude feels like a warm hug from my son gratitude sounds like my sisterβs car in my driveway gratitude looks like me looking at the Goddess in the mirror
sometimes I feel like I invade places Iβm not meant to be in I feel too immigrant, too loud, too intense, too othered but then I remember, Iβm not doing this just for me Iβm doing this for all of the version before me who couldnβt have ever imagined taking up spaces in places that felt foreign to her
I longed and longed and longed to feel whole until I planted my feet on the soil I was born on until I breathed the air my parents and ancestors inhaled until I tasted flavors from almost a lifetime ago I longed and longed and longed to feel whole until I returned to my homeland and it was the piece of the puzzle found I needed to finally complete me
he came for my people followed the rhetoric of our hate fueled president men, women, children killed in cold blood because they were the wrong race, the wrong color spoke the wrong language he came for βUSβ the so-called invaders him at just 21 years old filled with hatred from head to toe brainwashed by white supremacy twenty two lives taken as a consequence of a monstrous ideology twenty two families who will forever grieve and mourn the neverending sorrow loss of their loved ones taken too soon twenty two families with an infinity of questions and no real answers and as usual the useless thoughts and prayers come, and the law makers are the worst, making empty promises to fight this American epidemic but after a few days, they will forget like everyone else itβs no longer a question of why this happened ttβs become a question of when will be the next time
september , september, september please be calmer, please be kinder please bring an air of prosperity so I can dig myself out of the financial hole Iβve found myself in please allow me some time to breathe, rest, and reset
Back to black blast from my car radio as I drive aimlessly in the rain I have a boyfriend but I still feel alone It turns out that being in a relationship isnβt the cure for my loneliness after all Some people will say itβs the long distance, others will say itβs how I still keep my guard up I think itβs a mixture of both and how I have a tendency to fuck up in love