My Body is An Altar by Angelica Flores
I made my body an altar
Each morning I look in the mirror
and I pray
Each part of me represents
divinity
A higher power loved me enough
to give me breath
That is why I am doing the best I
can to present my body
I close my eyes and thank my
organs for functioning
I am divine and I know
I will treat myself with high
respect
Angelica Flores is a poet and storyteller. Check out her blog at : https://angelicafloreswriter.com/
This is my response to prompt #14: What did you think you’d be when you grew up
When I imagined my happily ever after-
it never looked like my current reality
a mother of 3 with 2 jobs, on the brink of divorce,
with 5 mental health diagnosis
and yet, I stand here with contentment in my heart
and appreciation for the life I’m living
I may not have grown up to live the life I envisioned
but I’m still proud of who I’ve become
I wrote this in December of 2021.
At 40, I feel like the ultimate Queen
after losing layers and layers of my princess skin
The broken princess I had to beat
to finally feel enough and complete
Friends and men full of duplicity
Have no place in my world of authenticity
I no longer wear my crown of guilt and shame
It caused me too much emotional pain
Instead I wear a crown of confidence and power
being true to myself is my superpower
Fuck anyone who thinks I’m too much or not enough
You assholes were never deserving of my love
I am the ultimate Queen
and I’m finally making myself seen
I wrote this 2013 about my husband.
Silence, awkward silence is what was left after everything they needed to say was said
It was the same fight over and over again.
Old wounds were brought to the surface and reopened.
She blamed him for derailing her ambitions
and he blamed her for derailing the productive and selfish life he once led.
They both couldn’t see that they were both at fault
for not continuing to push each other to flourish
but instead they fell into a complacent spell
And a pattern of a comfortable
and the fruitless routine of suburban life.
And the years went on and they had nothing to show for it
except debt and wrinkles they both inflicted upon themselves.
And the years went on and all that was left
was regret for her for the things that she didn’t get to experien
I wrote this in 2009 about Brad.
Rejection
Is an interruption
Of the infatuation
I felt towards you
Rejection
Is a profound sadness
With a river of tears
That flows down my cheeks
Rejection
Is a broken promise
You made
That breaks my heart
Along with the rest of me
Rejection
Is the start of learning
Who you are
Behind the facade
Of infatuation
I wrote this in 2004 and revised it recently. It’s not based on anything from real life.
They’re driving back from the theater. All evening he’s been quiet and she wonders what is going on. She reaches for his hand but he won’t give it to her. She tries to look into his eyes and he looks away.She can feel him cold and distant. She no longer recognizes what is supposed to be “them”. With tears in her eyes, she says, “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing.” he says as he’s still evading her eyes.
“Do you still love me?” she asks with a quivering voice.
“I’m sorry.I’m in love with someone else. It’s nothing you did. These things happen, I hope–
“STOP!” she yells. She’s barely holding it together at this point.
“I’m really sorry, I just want to-”
“STOP! I’m done with this. Stop the car.” she screams at him.
“You’re being crazy, at least let me-”
“NO. I want nothing from you! Stop the car NOW!”
“You need to calm — he stops mid sentence as he sees her taking off her seat belt and unlocking the door. He stops the car. He says, “I just want–”
“Fuck what you want” she says as she gets out of the car.
“But I-”
“There is nothing left to say”. She tells him. She walks away while she cries and laughs.She whispers to herself “fuck.once again”.
Day 21 of doing a 31-day poetry prompt challenge. Today’s prompt was “Where the stars meet” .
Day 13 of doing a 31-day poetry prompt challenge. Today’s prompt was, “On a Moonlit Stage”.
Day 11 of doing a 31-day poetry prompt challenge. Today’s prompt is “Liberation in Chains”.
Day 6 of doing a 31-day poetry prompt challenge. Today’s prompt was “A Deafening Silence”.
I wrote this narrative poem in 2005 in my creative writing class.
I will tell you my loving tale
About the day I saw
The most incredibly hot male
Standing in the raw
Naked, he was as a newborn
Why and how I did ask
He asked me not to be a thorn
To enjoy as he basked
And I did enjoy this great view
But still I did ask
What is this visit due to?
And will it be the last?
All he did was show me his teeth
And replied “no its not”
A lot of me you’ll bequeathed
It’s you I’ve always sought
And this was the ending of my tale
About the day I learned
From that translucent and wise male
Love can pleasantly burn
Life on the BPD 