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" Strenght, Healing, poetry

Happy, Even After – Poem

Not Letting Go- flickr photo
Not Letting Go- flickr photo

 

A few weeks ago I wrote this poem. I can share it now.

 

Happy, Even After

You don’t have the courage to tell the truth,

to break up with a man when you know deep inside

that you need to.

You take the lazy way out, wait on frustration,

anger, say or do something overreactive,

using the accumulated garbage from the past

composting for the right time.

Ignited by pain, internal combustion flames.

Watch out, he will get burned and so will you.

Why do you wait? Is it part of not losing what you do have?

Sounds pathetic, this ‘I don’t know how to end relationships,”

when your brain says, “yes you do know.”

Love is full of risks, it is not safe all the time,

the mind knows that, the heart doesn’t.

It’s okay to love and not be loved in return,

it’s okay to love and be loved,

and for that to end, even when we don’t want it to.

There isn’t a happy ever after.  All things end,

whether in breakup or death.

But there is a happy, even after.

The chasm between the two happy’s seem immense

like walking the Great Wall of China,

unforeseeable twists and turns.

Love yourself through the journey forward.

The strength to keep walking,

the strength to go the distance, is inside.

Keep your eyes, ears, and heart

tuned to your intuition and your god.

You can do it again, trust again, and love again.

The journey begins to happy–even after.

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with family, friends, and share memories of those who have passed on.

My deep appreciation, and prayers, for the men and women who fought in wars even when they didn’t want to do so, but did it anyway.

 

Find your happy, even after.

 

Books, Junot Diaz, Sandra Cisneros, Writing

Burritos With A Side of Lit-No Salsa

Visible and Ignored
Visible and Ignored

I’m feeling like the above quote after reading about Chipotle’s “literary packaging series.”

They had author, Jonathan Safran Foer, select 10 authors to feature on Chipotle’s cups and bags.

“What interested me is 800,000 Americans of extremely diverse backgrounds having access to good writing,” the novelist told Vanity Fair. 

 

But not one of the 10 authors are Latino/a.

 

None of those “800,000 Americans of extremely diverse background” will be exposed to a Latino writer.

This “literary” campaign comes on the heels of #WeNeedDiverseBooks and #DiverseLit.

 

Chipotle’s move is why we need to continue a movement with #WeNeedDiverseBooks.

 

English professor Lisa Alvarez sums up my feelings:

Chipotle Snub-photo by Michael Calienes
Chipotle Snub-photo by Michael Calienes

Reaction to Chipotle’s ‘short stories’ on their cups and bags can be found on Gustavo Arellano’s article.

Author, poet and commentator Michele Serros gave this response on Facebook. Hundreds of readers are contributing their favorite Latina/o writer:

Michele Serros List of Latina/o writers
Michele Serros List of Latina/o writers

 

To the list, I’ll add my favorites: Sandra Cisneros, Denise Chavez, Michele Serros, and Junot Diaz.

Add any of your favorites to the list.

It’s a multicultural world out there. Read about it, think about it, write about it.