Oh night

Oh, night,

you force me to dream
those dreams of nocturnes
pose the queries
where no answers
are to be found

you gather together

my hopes and wishes
knowing they’re
only a tease
but they give me joy
if only for a little while

I fly with the birds

In and out of clouds
the wind tickling
the naked of my
chest and legs
unabashed
through nebulous
colors in rainbows

 I soar looking down

at faces from the past
and those who held
my hand as if we all
were together again
without worries
without cares

Oh night,

when I close my eyes
for you ironically
I see the light
you sometimes cause me
to ponder… what would it
be like
to not open my eyes

  

Father's Day

In the wake of this celebration,
I toast to you who truly appreciate
the meaning of Father’s day

Not to change the course of history

but I shall celebrate once more
the figure that took its place
filling the role of loving parent

She did not show me how

to change a tire or oil
or catch a baseball in a glove
or build my muscles by picking
hundred pound weights
above my head

She taught me how to roll
the flour for tortillas and 
make aroz con pollo

she taught me that to sing
while cooking would make
the food taste better

How to wash dishes

and clean the house
how to iron my own
shirts and pants
to be thankful for what we have,
before I’d go to bed

I lost out on 'old school' traditions

of fathers showing sons what’s
underneath the hood  but 
in lieu, the time we'd share
a loving single Mothers care

she fulfilled both roles
of parenting came to watch me
play my sports, with hugs
a plenty when I'd get hurt.
she instilled in me a great
appreciation, in the absence
of a father figure,
a true parents worth

Happy Father’s Day, Mother