love ties me up and binds with a rope of shame slowly I fade away until Iβm nothing I donβt recognize who I am Friends tell me Iβve changed I tell them theyβre crazy messages appear in dreams Iβm living a fake life who am i? who am i? who am i?
it was another boring night at work I was stuck on aisle 10 between stocking and my racing thoughts a 90s dance song comes on the speaker and just when Iβm about to sing I heard footsteps behind me I turned around and there he was- my favorite customer 5β10 ,curly black hair, full red lips and a body built by some Greek God he was looking at pots and pans I quickly turned my back to stock the tupperware and sneaked glances and admired him from afar hoped he didnβt notice me in my Kroger garb I looked like too much of hot mess to flirt but still my dead and jaded heart was resuscitated and my imagination took flight as fantasies of him surfaced to my mind and just as Iβm imagined our first kiss he approached me, -OH NO! of course he asked for a specific type of pan we didnβt have I told him no and apologized in my best customer service voice and he told me βno worriesβ as his voice cracked and walked away quickly and I wondered, am I imagining things, or is he also attracted to me?
that cabinet also brings purpose to my life- it holds almost all of my stories
Open mics, family, karaoke nights, dance parties, Tarot readings, poems written on sticky notes, Epiphany after epiphany about how I have always been worthy, Long conversation about life in coffee shops, Trips to my dadβs hometown, sharing silly verses with friends making dumb videos, coffee cups that say main character energy dancing in car while I drive, taking picture of the moon and everything else that brings me joy, and every single experienced Ive lived, every single person Iβve loved is what my lifeβs purpose is about Itβs joy,hate, love, anger, empathy, envy it all brings purpose to my wretched everyday existence
while Iβve been obsessed with everything that has gone wrong with my life Iβm learning to finally acknowledge everything that went right always been blessed to have a community of friends who loved and accept me as the crazy and creative mess that I have always been for that I am most grateful to the universe the ultimate gift of friendship
Shadows of past sorrows came to visit me tonight they were triggered by that Taylor swift song on vinyl I poured myself some Hennessy to cope made a toast to what could have beens as tears fall on my paper trying to understand the journey is sometimes shitty and full of nails I had to step to get here on the other side of madness and chaotic living Living life intentionally and no longer just for the moment
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
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
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
I was ready to give up Until I felt a sudden caress on my hand you looked at me with desire, and I blushed and our passion was awakened from a year-long deep sleep Is this a short-lived daydream? or the impossibility of our new reality?
another new year is here another season of my life will soon be renewed more chances for new experiences and adventures more opportunities to fuck things up and give fodder to the inner critic in me to emotionally beat me up more time to question myself am I doing enough for me and my kids to prosper more moments of joy and laughter with my boys as they get older and continue to find their autonomy more grief and sadness as the working class and marginalized communities continue to be stepped on more memories made that ignite a spark of creativity within me another new year another transformation under construction
I wrote this poem earlier this month for a future version of myself. I wanted to end 2024 with a hopeful and romantic note.
lighting hits me and Iβm in love all over again this time I take my vows seriously this time I believe in the whole βtil death do us partβ bit this time itβs far from perfect and ideal but for once in my life weβre enough for each other and there are no seconds thoughts that this is true love
I drank the last drop of the wine you gave me as I sing out my guts to lyrics that reminds me of you the worst of my ideas, the worst of my crimes I drank the last drop of the wine you gave me hoping that this is the last bit of closure I need from you and that from now on weβll both live our lives free and clear of each other and soon you both fade into the background of my memory and soon you stop showing up in my dreams