
How do you deal with uncertainty?


How do you deal with uncertainty?

I wrote this poem in March of 2023.

we lie to ourselves continuously about our needs
to save face, to avoid conquering our fears
to not feel insecure
weβll tell ourselves we are better off alone and independent
when in reality as humans
we are meant to be social
we are meant to share ourselves with others
but itβs cooler to say, βIβm good with my solitude,
Iβm my own best friendβ
because deep down inside we donβt want to get hurt again

Write about your first computer.
Excitement over our new computer
I canβt wait to get into those yahoo and aol chatrooms
Iβll bet Iβll meet someone and maybe even fall in love
maybe Iβll have better luck find a man online
than I have in real life
maybe the man I find will stay and become
my soulmate

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 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

blue beetle, spanish music, latinx immigrant representation
inner niΓ±a healing
quechua music blast from my car rain, bird flew over my car
my ancestors giving me encouragement me to share my story
itβs my way to peace and freedom

Iβve tried on the role of the fun and sexy mistress
and failed every single time
I need to be the main character in my loverβs story
and not relegated to a dirty secret
the side chick thatβs good enough to fuck
but not good enough for a relationship status
my love is immense and beautiful
and not for those cowards who donβt want all of it
Iβm an Incan Goddess mixed with Peruvian aristocracy
Iβm royalty and will treated as such

Appearances were kept well for 15 years
the husband, the salaried job, the 3 offsprings
I pretended like everything was fine
And yet there were ominous signs
I never felt like my authentic self
and always felt false
I tried on this so called suburban bliss
and mediocres routines
but knew it just wasnβt me
So I ended up in profound misery
And one day I wanted to forever sleep
To forget my mediocre reality
I took 15 numb feeling pills
one for every pseudo happy year
I wanted to slip into a forever dream
to never wake to my false stability

I told myself βno expectationsβ
βJust use him for a short timeβ
Thatβs all heβll be good for
But his words, his gaze
His hands, his lips
Felt like home the first night
This canβt be happening
This canβt be real
This isnβt who I want to be with
But my heart wouldnβt listen
To the logic in my head,
The advice from my friends
I had the first hit and I needed to go back-
I feel like a pathetic drug addict-
I told myself βno expectationsβ
And yet a year later-
Here we still are in our
Intense and passionate love affair







