me and my cousins followed in our abuelas footsteps having kids out of wedlock with men who abandoned us and becoming the other woman and God bless our parents for trying to break this unhealthy cycles but Gabrielaβs blood is too strong for any of us to fight off properly so at some point as we come into adulthood we search for love in the wrong places like her, become pick mes and suffer the consequences of our actions
the nuns and mami started into obedience and I reverted into a world of silence And everyone praised mami about what a good little girl I was and no one thought much about this until my parents demanded answers for the rebellious streak in my teens couldnβt understand the numerous absences, the subpar performance in school, why I sulked in my bedroom for hours on ended, the disrespect from my mouth as I stood up for myself, they wondered where their sweet and quiet princess went all the while they should have looked back 6 or 7 years ago when they indoctrinated me to hold it all in or else they wouldnβt love me should have known one day Iβd rebel and explode as I was finding my spirit, my voice once again after it had been buried under layers of good behavior
abuela, today is your 94th birthday and I still look for you in mine and papiβs face I still wonder how your story would have turned out if you hadnβt been taken away from us at age 50 I still wonder if your spirit was with me and my son on that magical day 2 years ago I still weave parts of your story into mine since our paths were so alike and today I wonder if along your goddess cleavage, I also inherited your fiery spirit and generosity I wonder if right now youβre looking down on me confused with the life I lead or accepting and understanding I was made different from the women in my family
sometimes I wish you were here- so you could share your wisdom, so you could explain your truth I followed in your footsteps of being a teenage mom And it would have ripped me apart to have abandoned my son so Iβm wondering how you did it- were you full of guilt or was it because of your lack of options how did you survive being away from your child and go on with your life as if he was an afterthought Perhaps Iβm judging you harshly and I donβt understand the whole story I just want it to make sense
wordpress prompt:If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?
maybe I’ll take him, Idk
I want someone to take to oxapampa so I can show him where part of my story started so he can watch the sun rise and the sun set on my familyβs farmland so I can experience joy through his eyes for the first time as he observes the beauty of the land So I can watch his face when he takes a sip for the first time of the world class beer 7 vidas so we can take tourist pics at the plaza and the church were my dad was baptized in dance the night and awkwardly laugh at the cultural appropriation of the Cheyenne Club so right after we end up at the Hakuna Matata karaoke bar when I sing βLoverβ to him off key as he sits in his chair and cringes in embarrassment and tells me Iβm crazy and everyone stares at us so we could have breakfast with my tia with the eggs, chorizo, coffee, and milk coming from the family farm as we all awkwardly make small talk about our plans for the day I want someone to take to oxapampa to hug trees, go on hikes in the jungle, and make love in some little cabin but Iβll have to wait and wait until the universe sends someone worthy of going the magical land of oxapampa
I pay tribute to the women who came before me women who sacrificed so my parents could exist my mami who had to leave behind her culture, traditions, and language to give me a better life to make sure I grow up safe and well educated and taught me what strength and resilience means as she worked long days to make ends meet as she showed initiative to move our family forward and with her example I was able to follow it except I change it up some to live a life full of love, community and creativity
at 17, the pregnant bride to be got a telegram from her groom sorry, but Iβm betrothed to another and am getting married at gun point maybe it was the heavy feeling of rage or her aries nature and hormones the jilted bride with a silent fury went to her closet and took out her ostentatiously beaded wedding dress and with matches in her hand she went outside and set fire to it in front of the family home one of the younger siblings saw the insanity as the bride stared at it mesmerized by fire that grew and grew she walked towards it all sense of reality gone from her not hearing the screams from her abuela who ran towards her and just before the bride step foot in the fire la abuela shook her and slapped her across the face until the bride reacted, let out a loud wail heard across the farmland and fainted
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
today I woke up overwhelmed, exhausted and in a fit of rage feeling underappreciated in all of my efforts to move my family forward not remembering the last time I had a full day of rest wondering how to continue this existence of 60 something work weeks, and of course the guilt over not spending enough time with my kids- I was downtrodden with grief and mad at the world until my abuelaβs story made its way to a conversation with my coworker and a small light of hope dawned on me if my illiterate and indigenous abuela Mercedes, alone in the world could make generational wealth in the early 1900s despite the racism, the obstacles, and many tragedies faced I, too. will not only survive but will also thrive and continue to shine my light itβs in my bloodline, my ancestry to evolve, push myself forward despite obstacles, mental illness, or lifeβs tragedies-ITβS UP TO ME! as a Peruvian woman living in America in the 21st century to make the best of whatβs been given to me which sometimes feels like the sourest of maize and turn them in the sweetest and tastiest Chicha
mi tΓo Genaro y yo con el Γ‘rbol de Pino ,atras esta el paisaje de Oxapampa
abrazo el Γ‘rbol de pino para absorber su energΓa y para darle mis angustias y tristeza y rezo por todos que dejaron mi vida porque sin esas lecciones no serΓa la maravilla que soy hoy dia
from short hikes in Athens in 2021 to treacherous 5 mile hikes in Oxapampa in April 2023-it’s all unnerving
I put my insecurities and fears on display for the world to see itβs a most arduous task-itβs not for the weak at first I thought it was crazy it was me trying to get attention it was me seeking validation and while it may have been these things it was also brave, courageous to be so radically honest about what unnerves me Itβs how Iβve been able to heal and claim my identity