wonder how it happened- the transaction between beatrizβ papi and luis did beatriz have any say in her future betrothal did she have dreams as a little girl about her future husband did she even love Luis or just tolerate him because itβs what was expected of her how did it happen did she wish for a different life for her daughters one where they loved their husbands one where they were treated like humans and not treated like cattle
forgotten dreams remembered in a bout of depression I wanted to be much more than this an overwhelmed mom of two trying her best but still failing an chaotic mess who doesnβt know who she is underneath the burdens and expectations placed on her
before I knew who I was I used to be oh so charming to men always agreeing with them, mirroring their interests, stroking their egos and other things and giving them easy access to me I never used much discernment in this my standard were 3000 leagues under the sea So I allowed any mediocre joe who showed me the least bit of attention into my universe and I allowed this to happen for 26 years making myself fodder for these mediocre and insecure joes who left the minute I show then a bit of the fire I held within and everytime they left, I was destroyed and like a tarotβs fool I keep repeating this nonsense until a few years ago, I had enough when the last of the joes said I was too much for him and it was the final straw that broke my romantic girl spirit for a while I was touch and go with my sanity but I rose and rose like the Peruvian diosa I had always been and in horror I realized laying in bed with mediocrity only damaged me, it was time to change this narrative and slowly I recovered from the latest love tragedy and starting writing my own love story one where alone Iβm enough and the protagonist and never again have to tone down who I am or hide the fire and magic that resides in me
on sundays I give myself permission to live inside my head where I build a world I can freely imagine and play in where only a select few I let in on sundays, I jump timelines from the 90s to last year to my present writing about past experiences that still linger in my mind on sundays I give myself permission to be a complete hermit with only my playlist, my pen, and my paper to keep me company
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
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
no hay diferencia entre ella y mΓ‘rmol sus manos y pies quedan quietos y ella hace los gestos apropiados aunque nada tiene sentido en este momento lleva un volcΓ‘n de ira guardado dentro de ella mientras hablaban sobre tonterΓas y ella lleva una sonrisa falsa en su cara
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
I wrote this poem in January of 2024 for my friend Rosie who died in 2023.
me right after I wrote this poem
it was a wintry and rainy day in Georgia when last goodbyes were exchanged between you and and your boys you were thousands of miles away in Texas, in your hospice bed I imagine you were full of peace in your last conscious moments finding comfort in your faith and accepting this was part of Godβs plan but I-I carried rage that you were leaving everyone behind rage your husband would become a widower, rage your sons would grow up without a mom rage for the grief of everyone who would have to live without you rage that on the 29th of June, there wouldnβt be a random happy birthday from you for William, Miguel and all of the babies in our July mommy group born on that date rage that I didnβt get to know you better and that rage broke my brain, and I drove without a destination maybe it was your spirit that led me back to the safety of my boys but almost a year later I still carry that rage of how I donβt understand why God took you you who still had more than love to give and receive you who was the warmth of a sunny day in human form What was the purpose of your sudden departure?
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 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
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
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 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
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