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
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
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 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
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
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
the future of me is not written yet I have to understand that all I can do is write for her who will still question her existence or why things happened the way they did or what the fuck happened to her I know myself too well it doesnβt matter how far Iβm in my self discovery journey Iβll always have questions Its my insatiable curiosity I can only hope that the future me has leaned into self love More than ever before and still understands she and her kids are her top priorities Anyone else is expendable in her little universe of love
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
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 listen to the universe without a hint of defiance I listen carefully and with intention to understand my next blessing and the message is, continue to be vulnerable with the world youβre leaving a blueprint for the next one keep leaning into your craziest and most authentic self thereβs someone somewhere whoβs paying attention and may be falling in love with you one poem at a time but too scared to make a confession
me and my ex drive towards the moon in silence accepting we were always meant to be friends no longer harboring resentment about our failed story of romance Focusing on the long road ahead of us Divorced and raising kids in a world full of oxymorons, in a world that will try to make them fit into unrealistic expectations of what it means to be human me and my ex drive towards the moon in silence putting away our differences and any conflicts And putting our childrensβ best interest first understanding theyβre the best thing to come out of the failure of us
even the spambot body shames me and I hate my body all over again wanting to eviscerate that pudge thatβs been there since after my first son hiding the flappy wings of my upper arms wondering why God gave me my stupid curves Iβm constantly trying to hide and every excess of skin I see in the mirror That makes me wish Iβd cease to exist why canβt I be a skinny white girl? instead of this pudgy mess of a woman with body dysmorphia who still uses the scale to determine her WORTH
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