this poem is inspired by the 2006 poem “desire”

What did I do differently this time?
youβre looking at me as if I was magic
the icy cold wall between us melts
and weβre back to who we once were
I wrote this poem in January of 2024.

My body slowly starts to rebel against the daily stress
I put on it
It says, βstop this nonsense, youβre trying to do too much constantly.
hardly stopping to catch your breath
Constantly moving with a fast pace, tying up your worth
with how productive you can be
when just breathing, just existing is enoughβ
I wrote this poem in January of 2024.

my life flashed before my eyes as a fog took over my mind and body
What would happen to my ex? What would happen to my kids?
they canβt function without me
Iβm the one who makes sure the rent and electricity get paid
Iβm the one who always takes the initiative to better our family
Iβm the one whoβs trying to break generational curses
so my kids donβt suffer as much as I did
my life flashed before my eyes, and I mentally prepared a list
in my head of every one of my childrenβs milestones
i would miss out on if God took me now
and as the fog finally started to lift
I thanked God for his mercy and understood the message
from the universe
I really need to take better care of myself
my health can never be taken for granted
Iβm too important for my family, my friends
to learn to live without me
this was my great awakening
I wrote this poem in January of 2024.

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 wrote this poem in November of 2024.

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
I wrote this poem in October of 2024.

just call me J.Lo without the ass because my ex
(if we can even call him that) came back to me
after 2 years of sobriety
weβre the low rent version of Bennifer
except weβre not millionaires
or celebrities (yet)
Iβm just a working class immigrant poet
and heβs my ex whatevership Nordic muse
I wrote this poem in May of 2024.

Universe, send me a silver lining
send me a sign, send me a message
things will be alright
lately everything feels so awry
lately May feels like the longest month of my life
lately everything feels like chaos and darkness
I canβt seem to get rid off
And lately Iβm afraid Iβm about to lose my mind
I wrote this silly poem in April of 2024.

ancestor, ancestor-
which alcohol goes best with making shitty life decisions
ancestors says, not the PBR, not the michelob ultra light, itβs too basic of an energy
for the kind of epic shitty life decisions you tend to make
donβt reach for the margarita wine either, too obvious, too much of a cliche
and you already have plenty of them in your poetry
Go for the Guiness six pack
make your shitty life decisions with some English class
since most of your terrible decisions tend to include some asshole
whose ancestors are colonizer Englishmen
I wrote this poem in March of 2024.

for almost three years Iβve been waiting for the next guy to appear
as some kind of hero, as some kind of reward for all of my effort
Iβve put into myself and the life Iβve built
Subconsciously I did this
Even as I publicly roared about being empowered on my own
I still wanted someone to be my sanctuary to lay my love in
And I wrote, manifested, schemed, flirted
got obsessed with men who were just meant to be friends
Thinking, gosh, if I hang on long enough, heβll come around
this might work out
but today I discovered the only hero for me
is the woman in the mirror
who still manages to get out of bed
even on the bad days when sheβs too tired to function
when sheβs exhausted by all of it
I wrote this poem in February of 2024.

itβs the wild wild west inside my head
itβs where my demons decide to come out to play
they dance with traumatic memories
making my fears and insecurities come out to the surface
itβs the wild wild west inside my head
being insane becomes my personality and aesthetic
scaring away any potential love candidates
itβs been a long time since I held someoneβs hand
much less been in someoneβs bed
Itβs the wild wild went inside my head
And I wonder when will the demons get tired and leave
so maybe one day Iβm not so jaded
so maybe one day I give someone the chance
to take me out on a date

What was the last thing you did for play or fun?

I wrote this poem in January of 2024.

In bridging the gaps of my story that have remained unresolved
every story, every poem leads to pieces of healing and closure
Iβve been desperately search for since I can remember
Whatever my child self , my teenage self couldnβt voice back then
My middle age self brings to the surface
and while at times itβs difficult and terrifying
itβs needed in the process of healing and evolving
I wrote this poem in December of 2022.

take slow breaths and wash your hands
youβre fine, youβre okay
in fact youβre more than okay
youβre fucking wonderful darling
this moment of intense grief and anxiety
reminds you that youβre human
and you canβt always play the role
of strong and resilient Queen in front of the world
sometimes you have to pause, calm down, breathe
and let everything out
be vulnerable, be soft
this is how you start to feel integrated and whole