A few years ago I wrote a poem titled The Chosen which spoke of my struggle to conceive. It was probably the most personal poem I’ve ever written. With the birth of my beautiful daughter I felt that it was necessary to write a follow-up poem because I have finally been chosen to be a mother. These past five months have been the best five months of … Continue reading The Chosen (Part 2)
This want of knowing is greater than the need of oxygen in my lungs For, to be alive and not know who you are or where you’re from is not the same as living. De donde vengo yo is not a question. It is a statement. An affirmation of where I’m from. Because where I’m from, history wears the face of family. It’s my grandmother’s … Continue reading De Donde Vengo Yo (Where I’m From)
if you were a pure bolt of fire cutting the skies i’d touch you risking my life not because i’m brave or strong but because i’m fascinated by what the outcome will be. ~Nikki Giovanni *That excerpt is from Nikki Giovanni’s poem Fascinations. Continue reading Fascinations
“I don’t believe in coincidences. Everything that happens has a purpose, from the experiences that we have to the people that we meet, it’s all a part of our journey. It’s the Universe guiding us to where we are ultimately supposed to be.” ~Welcome to Heartbreak pg. 109 Continue reading Coincidences
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” ~Rajneesh I came across that quote a couple of years ago when I first started writing my book, Welcome to Heartbreak. I found it to be simple, beautiful, and honest. For me it symbolized the feeling of motherhood, a feeling … Continue reading Reborn
“Nevertheless, you have to be prepared for everything. At this point, I make the decision I’ve been needing to make: even if I find nothing on this train journey, I will carry on, because I’ve known since that moment of realization in the hotel in London that although my roots are ready, my soul has been slowly dying from something very hard to detect and even … Continue reading What Paulo Coelho taught me about breaking routines and healing
I first wrote this poem about 2 years ago. I wanted to put into words or at least try to put into words the aching emptiness in my heart. Today, I re-read it for the first time in almost year and now that I am 9 months pregnant I can finally say that I’ve been chosen. I am living proof that when you finally start … Continue reading The Chosen…
Life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness can only be found in books our youth cannot access. It is not our fault that you cannot read. War is expensive, education, the price. Single mothers start saving up bail money. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. We are not responsible for what happens to you behind interrogation walls. Please sit quietly as we coerce you into a false confession. You are innocent, until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, except if you are Troy Davis. If we mistakenly execute you, please accept our sincerest apologies. Continue reading Poem: Public Service Announcement
Now that I am going to be a mom I find that most of my thoughts are consumed with my baby, what kind of mom I will be, and all the decisions that I will have to make that will affect her life. This point in my life is exciting and while I am anxious to hold my baby in my arms, I am also … Continue reading Vaccinating Baby: Should I or Shouldn’t I?
I remember azzure blue simplicities before impressions and tones and presences were overlaid by memories. Memories of innocence, of loved ones of high school graduations that will never take place. Scattered remnants of those tentative first life impressions that no longer exist. The morning paper reports realities of murdered children who wore hoodies and craved skittles and iced tea. Whose only crime was being at the wrong … Continue reading System Failure (4/30)
nancy arroyo ruffin 