Poems & Photos

LOVE NOTE

DEAR ONE

Dear 2,

I saw your violation through frosted windows. I wish I could have been there to protect you.

Dear 7,

I see you screaming without words—look what happened! The doctor writes conduct disorder on your chart and so begins your passage through nescient mental health and medical systems.

Dear 15,

Bless you and your bravery. Shaved head, tenacious, and remarkably sensitive. You have always been a seer, even when chanting slogans and marching.

Dear 30,

I am grateful I got to love him. The chaos that spilled from inside me into our marriage will always make my heart ache with remorse.

Dear 39,

I am really glad you decided to stop drinking.

Dear 42,

Thank you for pursuing your wildest dreams and gazing into a sloth’s face as you carried him to his tree. Thank you for thinking on your feet and trapping a poisonous dart frog before releasing it outside. Thank you for allowing the geckos, spiders, and agoutis to live with you. Thank you for embracing the raw jungle and falling in love with every monkey you got to hold.

Dear 43,

You keep reinventing and recreating while also moving closer to Self. Like the teen pushing against the world around her, you continue to insist on your way. I look at hard truths and respond with grief, good boundaries, and the pursuit of peace. I define peace. I orchestrate the love that comes in and out of my space. I live in a body that becomes abstracted by comfort and craving and safety, and I am listening and learning.

MOUNTAINS