I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

warm and wild thoughts go through my mind
if only you looked my way one day
and saw me as an object of desire
ugh, itβs that time again
I must be ovulating
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

The moon guards and protects me as I lose my sanity
as I drink too much
as I search for someoneβs touch
the moon sends the Goddess
with a message of awareness
and I wake up from my trance of self destruction
and start an inner healing revolution
my purpose was never to be diminished and objectified
it was my judgment gone awry
and I try respect and worth on for size
my beauty is not all there is to me
Iβm a mosaic of intelligence, love, and creativity
never a barbie to be treated as a reward or trophy
I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

soon weβll be back to business as usual
obsessing over taylor and travis
clicking on clickbait about ben and jen
finding another celebrity to cancel
over some politically incorrect crime
of their past
soon weβll go back to business to usual
as mothers still mourn their children
over another violent tragery
that never should have happened
soon weβll go back to business as usual
as my son and his friends are hypervigilant
over anything suspicious
at 13, this world has taken away their innocence
soon weβll go back to business as usual
as we go back to our stupid jobs
whether thatβs a 9 to 5 office setting
or back breaking labor
as if evil didnβt happen at our communityβs door
soon weβll go back to business as usual
and Iβll write another poem about unrequited love
or the ex I dreamt about last night
soon weβll go back to business as usual
except this time Iβll carry a when and where
in back of my mind
waiting for it to happen again
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

my guardian angel sighs in exasperation and frustration
sheβs tired of my self destructive behavior
sheβs tired of being hyper vigilant
as I tear my life into shambles
and now she sees itβs too late
there was nothing she couldβve done
to stop me from giving into attraction and chemistry
and she wonders how this story will turn out
I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

I never did get my happily ever after
but I did get my happily divorced after
and a year after it was all done
and signed by the judge
I feel gratitude for solitude
and breathe a sigh of relief
that I wonβt settle ever again
for fear of being lonely
never again will I ever allow
Societal pressure to write my lifeβs
Narrative
and never again will I stay somewhere
Past the expiration date
because of fear or for the sake of appearances
I never did get my happily ever
but I did get my happily divorced after
and life feels joyous and glorious
and I am the most empowered version
of myself

Tell us about a time when you felt out of place.
the ceilings of America are laced with poison ivy
every time I act out of the norm or forget to code switch
people tell me Iβm too dramatic -ouch-
accused of being toxic and crazy-damn
and a rash of doubt takes over my mind
Iβll never fit it, no one will ever love or accept me
and I turn down who I am
but even that doesnβt work
it makes things worse
and I explode and project-
fuck you, youβre blocked
then I discover therapy -slowly I heal
accept the pieces of myself that will never fit in
exhibit myself in my most authentic form
and slowly the poison ivy becomes an ivy of love and growth
and I understand that to be happy
I need let go of normalcy
and embrace my unconventional and eccentric self
I wrote this poem in September of 2024.

I tell my son Iβm proud of you
and heβs like why, because Iβm alive
I nervously laugh even though
my heart aches over what he said
Why does America like to play
Russian roulette with its children
Why canβt I have a normal conversation with
my kid over too much screen time
and reminding him to brush his teeth
instead of conversation over what
he should do in a mass shooting
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

I feel left out by my friends and I cry and whine
βthey hate me, Iβm not good enough for themβ
my voice of reason tells me
βit will be okay, you donβt need themβ
itβs my sister
I break down in the middle of the sidewalk
and cry and scream
βIβm unworthy of love, Iβll be alone foreverβ
my voice of reason tells,
βthatβs not true, you just need to focus on you booβ
Itβs my son
my voice of reason has comforted me and loved me unconditionally
my voice of reason keeps me from going under
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

the prodigal daughter returns to a homeland that she barely remembers
itβs been 32 years since she stepped foot on Peruvian soil
and this feeling is unworldly-indescribable-unimaginable
she was a child when she left
never quite understanding the whys or hows of her familyβs immigration journey
in her adopted homeland, she suffered through hardships and failures
but the ancestors always protected her
from drowning in the immense waves of chaos and disasters, she ended up being tossed in
and sheβll go to their graves and pay reverence to them for shielding her from danger
the prodigal daughter returns, and she feels nostalgia rushing into her body and mind
she is finally where she belongs
I wrote this poem in August of 2024.

In Faro, magic took place
In Faro, Liv lost her mind
trying to conform
to Ingmarβs vision
of serenity and love
In Faro, Liv and Ingmarβs
story of love started with
silences, longing glances
and art made on the beach
with Godly cinematography
In Faro, Liv felt constricted,
restrained and isolated
and had Ingmarβs love child
In Faro, Liv tried for a year
to salvage a relationship
that was far beyond repairable
and in Faro, Liv put up
her white flag and decided
she couldnβt waste any more
of her life on something
that was never going to work
so she took her daughter
and left
the man, the life she thought
was going to be her forever

people wonder how I do it all
two jobs, three kids, the stream of poetry
and still finding time for friends
and honestly sometimes i donβt know
perhaps its because iβm crazy
and have the determination to live
to live the fullest life I have
even within the limits I have
maybe I donβt to waste a single minute
of regret wishing I could have done that
or this like I used to and now just do
Iβm no longer a woman of mere words
Iβm a woman of actions
8/28/23
I wrote this poem in August of 2024.

pieces of my abuela bleed into my mami which bleeds into me
and Iβm the vessel of the generational trauma inherited
and given the role of cycle breaker
I go against societal norms and conventions
and Iβm always the odd one out
always the one who never belongs, who never fits in
until I find sanctuary in poetry, friendships,
and my own creative community
and while the trauma inherited still lives in me
I find a purpose for it as i share abuelaβs, mamiβs, and my stories
through poetry and slowly those generational wounds
start to heal and turn into scars
I wrote this poem in August of 2024.

Mae West and Liz Taylor knew how to take up space in a manβs world
and that was the problem with them
it intimidated the fuck out of the men who worked with them,
who loved them
so they were ostracized, made to be cautionary tales
the minute they got out of line
so much beauty partnered with intelligence
made them a target in a patriarchal society
that like their women cute and mute
like the marionettes they can pull strings on

The journey into the broken pieces of my soul makes me cry out from agony felt
Solitude, vitamins, a healthy and boring routine
Affirmations with big and healthy dose of self compassion
are the requisites for healing and growth-
itβs a spiritual journey into healing my inner child
and it fucking hurts
I wrote this poem in August of 2024.

jem, brenda walsh, peg bundy, and many more empowered women
made their way to my tv screen in the 80s
when I was an immigrant child living in poverty
these characters helped me understand women are complex
and not the meek and submissive beings
my culture and religion led me to believe
these characters made a strong impression on me as a young girl
I didnβt have to live the story of the mujer sufrida
or saintly martyr
I could just be me and that would be enough