I wrote this poem in July of 2024.

I wash my hands of all my past sins
my wrongs never defined me
It was a toxic narrative I swallowed whole
when I was addicted to suffering
and being a martyr
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 December of 2023.

the breakup was always a larger than life event in my mind
because of the catastrophic pain it caused
because it was someone I thought could be my forever
so when he gave me the electronic pink slip
I used it as a catalyst for change
I broke away with my idea of what made me attractive
and accessible to men, andΒ instead, I focused on what made me feel good about myself
and learned to accept myself as the complicated and crazy
woman that I am
I finally understood I was always a Queen
Underneath layers of princess skin
Armed myself with poetry and confidence
that breakup changed me like previous breakups did
however, this one was the key to the transformation
I needed to become the woman I was always meant to be
I wrote this poem in December of 2023.

I have a bad habit of making poetry out of almost anything
itβs annoying, itβs cringe, and downright embarrassing at times
how shameless I can be
it teethers between the line of genius and insanity
This monster of creativity of mine
from trauma to my kids to childhood memories
To the latest villain in my story to office supplies
To my dreams to the trees to the clouds
To my kroger apron to energy drinks
To that ex from my 20s
No one and nothing is saved from being used
as a fountain of inspiration for my creativity
Sometimes itβs a curse, sometimes itβs a blessing
Most of the time, itβs just downright entertaining
I wrote this poem in December of 2023.

silence is no longer an option
if I continue to do so, Iβd be suffocating the part of me
who needs to be heard in order to heal
Iβd be failing myself, my ancestors, and future generations
silence is no longer an option
to do so is an act of violence against the writer and poet in me
whose purpose is tell my story, my truth
I wrote this poem in December of 2023.

in my island of solitude, I drift further
and further away from romantic love
when Iβve tried to invite others to my island
they always left, and it drove me into hysterics
making a catastrophic emotional mess of me
so now I float alone on my island of solitude
and have erected walls of strength and confidence around it
I will not allow another soul to break them down
only to later leave on a whim, leaving me in pieces once again
I wrote this poem in December of 2023.

I never asked to be born, much less to be a mosaic of trauma, insanity, and creativity
I prayed many times to be normal-to be someone else
but the day came when I had to embrace the masterpiece of duality and insanity that I am
to understand not everyone will understand me
to do the best I am with the deck of cards Iβve been handed
I wrote this poem in November of 2023.

abuela Gaby sends me hints that she wants her story to be told
but I can barely remember her
she tells me to still try with the bits I have
I ask her for patience
I want to get it right, I want to do her story justice
she tells me, βhemos vivido vidas paralelasβ
las palabras te vendrΓ‘n fΓ‘cilmente prontoβ
and adds, βes como vas a sanar, es como
empiezas a entenderteβ
and I donβt understand what it means,
I donβt understand her interest in me now
and how I became a messenger of her story,
βni siquiera pensΓ© que me querΓas Abuela,
you always pulled my hairβ
and she replies,
βes que era duro ver nacer y crecer a alguien
que se parecΓa tanto a mi, me traΓa
demasiados sentimientos encontrados,
porque sabΓa que tu espiritu seria
difΓcil de dominarβ
and while I try my best to comprehend
what she tells me –
itβs hard to wrap my head around her message
and all of the conflicting stories about her
from my family
so Iβm going to make it a point
to find out her story through her letters
and pictures-
abuela, I want to do your story justice
I canβt rush through this
yours is one of the most important stories
Iβll share in my lifetime
I wrote this poem in November of 2022.

In my childrenβs bible I was introduced to Jesus
and his love for everyone
I wanted to be like Jesus-
and love and accept everyone as they are
but Iβm human and I canβt
especially as the years pass by
and Iβm harmed by those who claim to love me
itβs when all of my dreams quickly dissipate
and slowly I grow bitter and full of mental illness
maybe this is my tragic destiny
from wannabe saint to a scorned woman
who only dreams of revenge
I wrote this poem in November of 2023.

I had to give up a lot of fun things in my life
to get to integration
an alcohol dependency, a shopping addiction,
Relationships and sex-
and the last thing was energy drinks
This was all for me to become the mom my kids
always deserved
it was needed for me to meet my higher self
who makes decisions with compassion and love
Instead of out of ego
It was needed for me to start living
in the most authentic way possible
and while I could dwell on all
of the fun things I lost
I now look at it as a blessing needed for clarity
and to make space for this new version of me
who no longer hides her jagged edges
for the comfort of others
Who loves who she is and no longer
Wants to be anyone else
Who finds peace in solitude
and is no longer scared of it
my integration of self costs me many things
I was addicted to
but it was worth it for the woman I am today
for the beautiful life Iβm currently living
I wrote this poem in November of 2023.

google makes collages of how Iβve compartmentalize my life
throughout the years-
next to a pic of me and my ex is a pic of me and my son
then a pic of me and my friend
for a long time these realities
couldnβt exist in one frame-
it was blasphemous in my mind
for one reality to bleed into another
I never understood how this was killing my sense of identity
and inner emotional stability
That old version of me wanted everything
kids, love, sex, fun, drugs, and alcohol
to be many different people at the same time
mother, vixen, friend, basket case
and everything in between
to be accepted, to loved
and all of this compartmentalization
lead to the worst inner chaos and turmoil
It was emotional torture
I couldnβt bring myself to acknowledge
until one day I had a mental breakdown
because of it
I wrote this poem in November of 2023.

with solitude comes clarity and peace of mind
I no longer rely on the actions of words of others
to validate my existence
I no longer feel like less of a person
because of the whims of others
with solitude comes an understanding
that being alone is the best way for me
to succeed in my recovery journey
because any extra energy derails me
from the woman of worth Iβm becoming
I wrote this poem in November of 2023.

the repetitive compliments, the gross flattery about your looks
no longer works on you-
Youβre one βhey beautifulβ from vomiting the contents of your lunch
all of these men state the obvious-youβre pretty
And they think itβs a way to get to closer to you
but you scream, βewβ and block them
itβs nothing against them, you just no longer have the luxury
of time to waste it on this type of nonsense to even think
about entertaining them
youβre outgrown that story
I wrote this poem in November of 2023.

I close and open my heart at my moods and hormonesβ convenience
on a tightrope of vulnerability where I tend to fall off from
and I have a tendency to blame 80s and 90s music and movies
that taught me that if youβre good enough, if youβre pretty enough
the right guy will fall for you and youβll get your happy ending
I wrote this poem in November of 2023.

my exes are scared of me for good reason
too many times Iβve used their words,
even their emails as ammunition
in expressing myself in poetry
sometimes, it was for revenge
Many times, it was me just trying to heal
but I did warn most of them
–Iβm a writer–and Iβm crazy
they probably thought
βOh how cute, a girl who writes a few versesβ
they never understood how my wrath
showed up in my writing
until they leave and finally understand
they should have heeded my warning