people wonder how I do it all two jobs, three kids, the stream of poetry and still finding time for friends and honestly sometimes i donβt know perhaps its because iβm crazy and have the determination to live to live the fullest life I have even within the limits I have maybe I donβt to waste a single minute of regret wishing I could have done that or this like I used to and now just do Iβm no longer a woman of mere words Iβm a woman of actions
Mae West and Liz Taylor knew how to take up space in a manβs world and that was the problem with them it intimidated the fuck out of the men who worked with them, who loved them so they were ostracized, made to be cautionary tales the minute they got out of line so much beauty partnered with intelligence made them a target in a patriarchal society that like their women cute and mute like the marionettes they can pull strings on
The experiment of life leaves me breathless with rage Why keep trying love on over and over again when it continually abandons me Itβs like a balloon Iβm filled up with joy and happiness and then thereβs lifeβs pin of reality makes my balloon burst and Iβm reduced to nothingness until I find rage to fuel me to move forward itβs exhausting, itβs madness
this day of the dead, Iβll pay reverence to my female ancestors iβll build a shrine with their pictures and letters to honor them itβs the least I can do do the generational gifts passed down to me this day of the dead, Iβll pay reverence to my female ancestor write down their stories and later on share them remember that doing this heals something in me, something in them
worpress prompt: What do you love about where you live?
me at open mic a few weeks ago
when I finally took myself seriously as a poet and writer, I was 40 before that I thought I was some cute and crazy girl who used poetry and stories to express herself on paper whatever she couldnβt burden loved ones with but now at 40, between the July heat and mental health diagnosis I had a breakdown and I used my creativity to get through it so I started blogging and used my poetry as content I had no idea anyone would like it, resonate with it and subscribe to it and after a year, I went back to open mic and keep going and bared my most vulnerable and intimate thoughts this lead to me finding community with the local poets of Athens and itβs what I had always wanted but was always too scared, too insecure to seek out and also too busy with everything else in my life but one day I got tired finally embraced the fire of my creativity and decided to share the artist in me with the world once I did that, I created an online community and eventually found a community of writers and poets who accept me, encourage me, and inspire me
a year from now things will be radically different I will not be stewing in my misery and making poetry out of it instead Iβll be more empowered, more creative than ever instead Iβll be wiser and stronger understanding the rollercoaster of the storms of 2024 was needed to inspire another cathartis, another catalyst for change the universe had to humble me for a bit to remind me of whatβs really important to assess how Iβve been living my life and whether or not the many hours were worth killing myself over a year from now this will be radically different Iβll have a deeper knowledge, understanding and clarity about whatβs in alignment with me life will be more balanced, more full of joy and with an abundance of everything that inspires me everything that brings purpose to my life
the labyrinth of love made me lose who I was for a while I used to base my sense of self on who loved me or who didnβt- and thought I need a lover to feel whole after every breakup, I had a breakdown and it felt like an eternal labyrinth of despair I couldnβt find my way out of it was like the most complicated of Borges stories caught in a complex maze of misunderstanding and intricacies of my own mind and for a while it felt like Iβd never get out- until faith shone a light on me and it drove me out of the labyrinth of despair and into a clear path of compassion and self love
when Iβm bothered, when Iβm embarrassed, when my inner critic starts knocking on my mindβs door the best thing I can do is reapply my lipstick, write some angry seΓ±ora poetry Remember the goddess that I am, and take my power back Iβm not some stupid and weak little bitch some people perceive me to be (that narrative ended at age 40) now, I take the disrespect and insults with grace keep my composure, pretend Iβm unbothered even as I fume inside I still keep on going I wonβt make a big fuss or call anyone out that story usually ends with me being gaslit and called crazy instead I adhere to the age old adage βaqui no paso nadaβ Really being the opposite which is everything my anger, rage, grief being the fuel to become better to prove to myself and others Iβm not the mentally unstable bitch society perceives me to be
lately life has been a most unfortunate chain of events and my universe is upside down canβt tell which way is up, which way is down I just want relief from this elephant of pressure that sits on my chest I know that it will get better I know a sudden rush of clarity will come after this but the not knowing when is killing me
pale petals fall on windy autumn day and brush against my skin it feels like a soft touch from my loverβs hand and I feel loved by nature I feel affection from the source it gives me butterflies to think of how much Iβm loved and cared for by God
the bomb of my insanity explodes and I try my best to do damage control tell my paranoid inner child not everyoneβs out to get me but itβs too late and I fall once again under the spell of depression I try every single coping mechanism and itβs futile I just need to sit and acknowledge my inner critic and the dark and intrusive thoughts that come up Understand and accept that shit is temporary there will be better times ahead for now itβs just annoying
I try my best to try to trust the divine time of the universe but on days like today I just want to disappear under the covers of my bed itβs not that Iβm depressed I just need time to myself and not be surrounded by everyoneβs bullshit about capitalism, societyβs ills, and how we all need to heal- it all feels so repetitive like weβre all barely treading water waking up with existential dread wondering which catastrophe or tragedy comes next itβs hard for someone as sensitive as me to keep functioning to keep living under stress and duress of life and the worldβs toxicity so on days like today I just want to disappear under the covers of my bed
love will have to wait while i switch the gears from survival mode to triunfadora mode right now I can only concentrate on existing and putting one foot in front of another right now I only have the energy and time to focus on myself and digging myself out of the latest catastrophe I find myself in right now is not the time for crushes or new relationships it wouldnβt be fair to him to invite him into my current chaos right now I stand alone, get myself together before trying to fall into the magic of love again
I feel timid lately and want to hide in a tomb the kind of tomb youβd find on the grounds in some decrepit motel there I wouldnβt have to function at all there I could get lost in my thoughts and make up scenarios in my head Thereβs no oneβs energy would impact me in a way that makes me feel hopeless and worthless