A family’s silence — why are you silent? other than condemning the heinous acts you have done nothing is it that you truly do not care? or is it that you feel unaffected because your skin color is a lighter shade? the cries of our brothers & sisters have gone unheard by your apathy for far too long…

sitting in this quiet space the air enters my nostrils my lungs slowly expanding I feel a calm wash over me holding my rose quartz loosely in my right hand the air softly expelling only this moment exists focusing on the rise and fall of my chest each rib a reminder of…

Death in life Most treasured by two sons Adored by extended family Eternally missed by friends Cherished by many colleagues A tombstone hiding the truth Only she and her daughter know Decades of painful silence An unprotected middle child A precious little girl Left alone and very afraid You had no more…

This yearning heart still believes —

An impossible union —

In search of you, I found me like the roots of a majestic Ceiba you patiently nurtured my being for decades until I was ready to know the depths of me the signs you sent were ones I didn’t initially understand, the Harlem Middle School Pedro Albizu Campos so that…