them creative types make me crazy with fantasies and daydreams
what is it about poets and writers I find so attractive maybe it’s how they play with words that makes me yearn to become their muse maybe itβs their expression of passion that makes them the object of my obsession maybe itβs because their creativity makes me want to make poetry with their bodies
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?
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
nachos and cheese makes my tummy oh so happy satisfies my craving for something salty my taste buds are greatly aroused as the cheese melts in my mouth and I grow dizzy with glee becoming a victim to my gluttony my taste buds grow greedy for more even my blood pressure soars
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
aol chatrooms serves her purpose for attention and validation slowly Lacy become a love junkie with a combo of low self worth and undiagnosed mental illness she never feels like sheβs enough so she uses her beauty and her body to search of wholeness no one thinks to stop her or monitor what sheβs doing online has plenty of dates with strange men in parking lots at 16, she feels on top of the world sneaking hits of lust After school and on weekends using her friends to cover for her never thinking of the consequences and always living for the moment
this is inspired by the 2006 poem, “did I ask for your advice”
well meaning unsolicited advice and opinions from others Made me feel like I was a failure like I wasnβt doing enough to better myself it always comes after a life changing event- a new baby, marriage, and most recently my divorce In my 20s it drove me crazy In my 40s I nod, smile, take whatever is helpful and move on
How long do I have to scroll before the algorithm fucks me up Before the algorithm makes me feel like Iβm not doing enough before I lose my shit and say βthis is bullshitβ and delete all of my social media apps How long do I have to scroll before the algorithm makes me feel better before the algorithm starts to validate my existence Before some random stranger slides into my dms and tells me Iβm pretty
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 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
the real tragedy is no one has gotten me this cake yet
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 swipe and swipe on anyone who looks appetizing, on anyone who looks interesting and then the messages swarm in- I must be honey to the bees who buzz and buzz around me and Iβm not impressed Hey, beautiful says the guy with his catch of day in his profile pic – Are you DTF? Says the zoomer almost young enough to be my son-ew-blocked insert a pretentious line with a quote From a Wallace Stevens poem , it’s the Genxer whoβs gross-ethically non monogamous- I must not have been paying attention while I was swiping And the messages keep coming And Iβm overwhelmed by the amount of them and underwhelmed by quality of them and Iβm nauseated and want to vomit at the thought of giving any of these men an ounce of my energy maybe a past version of me would have given them a chance but this new and empowered version of me Nah, none of them seem worthy so I deactivate my profile and uninstall the app Understand Iβm too evolved to find love online and put my trust in the universe that one day The right guy will find me and I wonβt even have to try and until that time comes, Iβll keep being an independent Peruvian Queen Focusing on myself and my kids without any mediocre energy trying to intervene
Itβs time to say goodbye to the notion of love I know Iβve said this more times than I can count but this time, I really mean it lately, I prefer my life of solitude the one where Iβm my own hero, my own savior And I donβt wait for anyone to validate my worth itβs so calm, itβs so peaceful itβs actually bullshit the romantic girl in me canβt be cured