I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

the plane slowly takes off
and I take flight with it
I leave behind past troubles,past trauma
and go on an adventure
to find healing and the best version of myself
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

and the roses never wilted,
they just transformed into flowers
never seen before
for a while it looked like they were dying
as they slowly turned gray and then black
but then they bloomed into something different,
a unique kind of beautiful
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

gratitude taste like mamiβs sopa de pollo
gratitude smells like my loverβs cologne
gratitude feels like a warm hug from my son
gratitude sounds like my sisterβs car in my driveway
gratitude looks like me looking at the Goddess in the mirror
I wrote this poem in September of 2022.

I longed and longed and longed to feel whole
until I planted my feet on the soil I was born on
until I breathed the air my parents and ancestors inhaled
until I tasted flavors from almost a lifetime ago
I longed and longed and longed to feel whole
until I returned to my homeland
and it was the piece of the puzzle found
I needed to finally complete me
I wrote this poem in September of 2021.

I long to run free in a world free from prejudice and pride
I long to run free in a world free from judgment and ignorance
I long to run free in a world that accepts people like me
I long to run free in a world where Iβm not hypervigilant
about toning myself down
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 October of 2022.

Eliza, eliza, eliza
what have you done?
Entering a beauty content you have no business entering
While youβre beautiful ,confident and powerful-
Beauty contests arenβt for you when european beauty standards
rule society
itβs not that youβre less than them
Itβs just that your type of beauty is only meant to be fetishized
to be fantasized about
your beauty is a temporary place for men
your beauty canβt keep a man, only excite men
So while Iβll share the link
and every now and then remind people to vote for you
Remember your worth is not wrapped up in your beauty
Because youβre more than your good looks
Youβre everything
Kind, loyal, intelligent, witty, sexy, everything a man can dream of
A woman a man can really love and be loyal to
You just havenβt met him yet
Trust is the process-trust in Godβs divine timing