were we the bonnie and clyde of toxic relationships ? you setting up and detonating love bombs in my heart and making me explode in rage every time you left and me encouraging you with every reunion because I loved you, because I didnβt want to be alone so I went along with your emotional crimes every time Until one day, I learned my worth and blocked your energy from my universe
every time I drive somewhere new Iβm beyond terrified doubts about driving skills cloud me and I want to break down and panic in the middle of traffic but I push through my fears, my insecurities, and keep driving I canβt be weighed down by who I used to be A woman reliant on the transportation of others A woman fearful of living a full life that is my old story and itβs not that I hate that version of myself I just refused to hold myself hostage by my past which tries to hold me back from being the independent woman I was always meant to be
I was in distress the other night but I wasnβt the damsel who needed to be saved I was a friend who needed a friend and maybe I was expecting too much but you could have done better than some two word awkward text as I was breaking down in the diner
I cry over my fries while I write nonsense because nothing makes sense Iβve worked so hard to change my narrative of mental illness so hard to create a new story of strength and resilience where Iβm the heroine but tragically Iβm a falling victim again to depression, anxiety, BPD, and whatever the fuck else it is wrong with me and I wish to make myself small enough to disappear into a mist of nothingness because lately it hurts too much to exists
In the isolation of my solitude I try to find grace and compassion thatβs evading me I try to ground myself in my writing and music because I donβt want to talk about it and Iβd rather let out my tears in the comfort of my bedroom or on my notebooks because last time I let someone in on my crazy, they left they always leave me
in the juxtaposition of the karens and working class I find sympathy for both itβs hard to explain this in between- itβs an exhausting struggle of understanding the complexities of the human condition of wanting to be seen of wanted to be heard and respected and I stared in horror, almost breathless as the karens and the working class exchange verbal hostile fire and almost throw hands at each other as one threatens the otherβs livelihood and the other stood their ground and I – was just a witness to the epidemic of anger in America
I try on grace and self compassion thinking of the many times I wanted to be someone else Mirroring my sister and my best friends to escape from myself never thinking I was enough- I even tried to be like my former metamours- so smart, so pretty, so American they were placed on pedestals by my exes so of course I wanted to be like them- never understood how I never stood a chance and how nothing I did would matter my exes always chose them they were safe,predictable and shared their background everything I was never going to be so I chose to embrace who I really am a woman with a chaotic history who feels everything with a magnitude of intensity a woman who no longer mirrors others to gain a sense of identity I now stand firm in the authenticity of my duality I embrace my God given gift of my creativity and share it shamelessly thereβs no turning back now that Iβm fully me and I no longer care who loves and accepts me
I sought solace in friends last night and everyone was busy or asleep so I cried hysterically in the middle of the street, and then in the diner over my fries, and finally in my uber ride Strangers kept asking me if I was okay one even offered me a ride even in my worst moments of crises, I always find a way to survive even when Iβm in the thick fog of a mental breakdown I know now how to take care of myself and keep myself safe maybe that was the lesson the universe sent last night even in my most hopeless of times I will always find a way to survive and eventually be okay
A blanket of anger and sadness envelops me as you dispose of me once again I hope this time I learn for good that you only carry destruction and devastation within you that you will never love or care for me that youβre a self absorbed piece of shit A blanket of anger and sadness envelops me And I hate you but I hate myself even more for wasting my time and love on someone who never deserved it for trying to see love and affection that was never there for falling in love with a charismatic coward
maybe it was the outfit that made my uber driver nervous
I couldn’t tell if you were nervous or just an asshole trying to impress me with your knowledge of shakespeare that came off as mansplaning which was so cringe and annoying since I told you I have a degree in English and I had taken two Shakespeare classes maybe you didnβt take me seriously because of how short my dress was or my thigh-high boots caught you off guard is it some sort of abomination for me to be smart and smoking hot that men treat me like Iβm a bimbo they need to save or mansplain shit to maybe I should start using it to my advantage play the role of βpretty womanβ observe how much men underestimate me and write poetry about it and make it blog content a year later
weβre not promised tomorrow, so we must make the best of our todays- making community with our friends, reconnecting with our roots loving our children with a loud fervor weβre not promised tomorrow, so we must appreciate everything we have the legs that take us on walks and runs the creativity that flows from our minds the laughter shared with loved ones
my heart is full of what ifs? What if it works out? What if Iβm not as dumb as I think I am? What If I stop listening to the voices in my head that taunt me-telling me Iβm not good enough? What if Iβm brave enough today and chase my dreams despite my haters and my inner critic?
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
2014 me in the blue hoodie-2023 me in the red dress,
The ME from June of 2014 sends me a message asking, where are you? I tell her, life didnβt go as planned-youβre divorced and looking for a place for your ex but your kids are thriving-your oldest son has his driverβs license and is on his last semester of college Your middle son will graduate from high school this year- and your baby is now taller than you and becoming his own person Youβre working 2 jobs and youβre a citizen now and youβve been to therapy to learn healthier coping mechanisms- you even drive now-youβre independent as fuck and live life on your own terms youβve even been to Peru twice- Youβre learning to follow your intuition and how use discernment in your choices in how you live your life- youβve discovered your values underneath everything society brainwashed into you and at the end of the day all you want be is a good mom and a good person thatβs the extent of your lifeβs purpose- now that we know who we are our next step is to plan the future we want- weβll keep on thriving girl-you were the go getter and determined woman in me Even among one of my greatest depressions You still got up and followed your passions- And you laid the foundation-weβll be okay-I promise Iβll make you proud of me- Love patty
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