• Authenticity in Growth: My Path to Self-Love

    New Year, New me…

    New era, but some things don’t change. Staying true to myself and who I am…

    So, it’s been a bit since I last wrote something for this blog. Sorry for keeping all 2 of you in waiting (one of them being me checking if the site still works 🤣, but still!) I kid, I kid. Thank you to whoever reads and is interested in what I have to say. I’m going through some rather weird times, I guess. It hasn’t been bad nor great just kind of coasting more or less. I’m trying to move ahead every day. I mean we’ve entered a new year, and you know knew beginnings. So, let’s talk about what’s changed, what’s new, what I’m looking forward to, which manifestations I’m hoping become reality, y mucho mas! Also, I’m Mexican and embracing my heritage so there’s probably going to be a lot of spanglish coming, hope that’s cool with everyone and if not, pues ni modo 😅🫶 love you guys!

    This song just sets the tone I guess lol it’s kind of heavy but like in a way that makes you feel unstoppable like nothing te puede parar, tu sabes like no importa que este pasando, you got this! Porque si se puede! I chose this song honestly because as I sat in this Starbucks writing this, I felt genuinely motivated to carry my heart and strength outward, so everyone can feel this new energy with me!
    I choose Happiness. How about you, my friends?

    Well, like I said, I have been more or less coasting or just moving ahead with no real direction. Well, that’s not entirely true I have a direction, but everything is slow moving for the time being. I’m working on myself and building a better life for me and my kids. Going through school and its ups and downs alike. Sometimes I feel like I can’t navigate the classes I’m taking (CHEM and BIO) they are intro classes, but it involves math which I am not great at. So, the struggle is real lol. But, somehow by the grace of God or the Universe, I’m getting through it. Taking it day by day.

    You know, it’s easier when I focus on the task at hand. Lol ok, sorry, I know that was kind of random but yeah today when writing this it is 2/15/2025, the day after Valentine’s Day. The thing is when I started to write this, I wasn’t too sure which way I’d go with it. It was the day of the Super Bowl, and my focus was more or less on something else or someone else. Which is ok and all, but it takes away from my priorities which is tackling school and coming out as a nurse! No se como que I was solely focused on finding love and that girl of my dreams, thinking I could juggle both things. Pero who am I kidding I can’t. Ok, ok, I mean si puedo right like I could. Pero it’s kind of detrimental if I lose focus on my own growth and focus on something that is almost absurdly uncertain. I mean I don’t actually know if this girl is even into me, you know. Y con todo de mi advances like I haven’t gotten to far, or at very least that’s how it feels. I don’t flat out want to give up on the prospect of potentially finding love with her (I mean I’d be head over heels if it worked out!) but that is a huge “if” that I can’t keep at the forefront of my day to day. So, I choose my own happiness. I choose to be my own happiness. Because I can love deeply and wholeheartedly but if I don’t show that to myself initially then I’m just providing a band aid on a bigger issue. One that will never resolve, and it will tarnish the rest of my life. Polluting my own growth and wellbeing resulting in me not making those moves I hope to be making. Being a nurse, an amazing poet, publishing my own book and so many other things. Look, choose to love always, but let yourself be the first person to receive it. Hahaha🤣 sorry my good people I kind of went off on a random tangent about love (it’s always about love isn’t it 😅) but am I wrong? Haha don’t answer that lol. No but it more or less is. I don’t know at least with me it is, And that’s ok though.

    Self-love is the foundation of growth, happiness, and genuine connections. 🌱💙 Check out this video for simple yet powerful ways to practice self-love-it’s a reminder we all need sometimes. Take care of yourself; you’re worth it!

    I have big plans for the future, but I also love deeply and sometimes it may come off as intense or overwhelming, I guess. I’m sorry I just don’t know how else to be. I don’t know how else to love or move the pieces of my life without putting love at the base of how I navigate my life. I don’t think it is a wrong way to be, it truly is the most authentic and genuine version of me. This is pretty cliche to say, but literally what you see is what you get with me. I don’t have my life figured out just yet, (I’m on the older end, but fuck that everyone is different) we come into our own at different times and in different ways. This is just my way. So, le voy a chingar! Y echarle ganas. Because I’m worthy of living the best fucking life I can!

    See! Love is everywhere!! 😅❤️🫶
    Embracing Growth while staying true to who I am. 🌿✨ this latest post explores the journey of finding happiness and love from within, of evolving, learning, and becoming the most authentic version of myself. Inspired by We Never Change by Coldplay, as a reminder that growth doesn’t mean losing yourself, it means becoming more of who you were always meant to be. 💙
    Crossroad
    Every so often you'll hit a crossroad straight on.
    With no forward path to move down.
    Uncertainty is the only certain thing.
    You guess every step, making giant mistakes.

    Ones that work you until your last breath.
    Resilience is the only key, not giving up on anything.
    Quitting is the easiest, when you are at your wits end.
    Struggling to stand on your own again.

    That's how life makes you grow, through trials and tribulations.
    Ones that challenge every notion your body grew within.
    Fighting is the only thing left.
    Take every punch like a boxer, closing every round with a magnificent combo.

    Down on your luck yet still finding the instinct to get your ass up!
    Like Captain America while getting his ass whooped, "I can do this all day!"
    The saying that seems relevant and easy to say.
    That's the crossroad I find myself at, the ones where two distinct paths lead to two divergent futures.

    We'll see where tomorrow will land.

    Please feel free to leave a comment down below I’m eager to hear from you guys!

    Leave a comment

  • Love’s Unexpected Lessons: Embracing the Journey

    Love will always blossom…

    “When you find the perfect person despite their imperfections, the only hope left is that they, too, want to stand by you.” – Moises Flores

    This timeless tune conveys the message of connection and profound essence of standing by your person.

    Hey everyone! Welcome to another edition of life and love in this day and age! Lol just kidding! We have yet to tackle this topic in the blog. So, I’m thinking maybe it’s time we do, no? I’m only going to talk about my experience because that is all I have any authority on, myself. Cool? Okay good let us begin!

    My love life has been a bit of a rollercoaster truth be told. From years before to this year, I have had many ups and downs alike. Let’s go back to the start, no? It was around this time, a couple years ago actually. When the end of my marriage started taking place. I did everything I could, as best as I could, but in the end it ended anyway. I was heartbroken and on the verge of giving up. I didn’t though… Clearly. I’m still here alive and kicking. I know I shouldn’t joke, but it’s not a joke; I’m very grateful to be where I am today, and that I refused to give up. (So, please seek help if you feel this way, it’s not a good feeling to be holding. There is always help! Call or text the help hotline 988, you matter!) It was pretty bleak then, though; I lost what I thought was the love of my life then. So, I mean how could I carry on right? I lost the person I thought I’d grow old with. I didn’t know how to move on nor get myself ahead. I had sunk into an endless cavernous abyss of depression and negative thoughts that consumed my day to day. It was tough honestly, it still is (not because I’m still in love with her or anything, no. But I made some rather shitty decisions along the way. Falling into a black hole of debt, trying to fill that missing space I now carried.) No one’s fault but my own, I acknowledge that; I know I messed up, but slowly I’m bringing myself back up. Learning how to address those feelings that took me down the hole in the first place.

    I also kind of set myself up for heart ache in the same sense. I know you’re probably like, “But Moises what ever could you mean?” Well… lol I thought I was ready to start dating again. But alas I wasn’t fully ready then. I got on dating apps and met different people. Look, in retrospect I probably should’ve just chilled out and worked on myself instead. I met and dated a wonderful woman that was full of life and love to give. I just wasn’t in a place to really reciprocate that to its fullest potential, if that makes any sense. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel love for her, because I did but it wasn’t enough, as terrible as that sounds. I just felt like I wasn’t in the right place to fully give her what she wanted from me.

    Heart ache is something that you will always risk when love is the gamble you take…

    I am grateful she came into my life at the time that she did though. Because of her I learned a lot of things I didn’t know before. About myself, about life in general and chasing my dreams. I know, I know as you’re reading this you are probably like BRUH… What the Hell?!? Look I feel terrible I couldn’t make it work, you know. But in my defense, the heart wants what the heart wants. And well here we are. I wish her the best of luck though. Hope she finds what she’s looking for. Love is complicated it requires patience and care. If you’re not ready it will drag you through the mud and make you hurt, even when you are the one to cause the hurt in the first place. I say that because it was me to end it, right? So, I caused that pain in her, not in a malicious sense mind you. (Ok, look I know I can’t minimize what I did, nor the pain she probably felt.) But I did care about her. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out in the end.

    "Love will prevail and continue to persist even when it feels it's amiss."- Moises Flores
    d6c21943-0884-4fad-9bd0-4417f0509129-1

    Protect it, don’t seal it..

    Looking for signs of true love? I came across this video. It’s definitely worth checking out. A thoughtful reminder of what genuine, healthy love really looks like. Give it a watch and let me know what you think!

    Love comes when you least expect it, from where you least expect it, as well. You could be in a bookstore looking for a new read or trying to find something to eat, and BAM! You meet the most amazing person that simply takes your breath away. The one person that literally sparks something inside of you that you have never felt before, and describing it is the hardest task. Because how can you describe love itself? Warm fuzzy feelings? Butterflies in your stomach? Ooey gooey tenderness? Or all of that and so much more? I’m inclined to believe that its all of that and anything else that I couldn’t think of as I write this. I mean how could it not be all of that? Love has its own dynamic that is vastly different for everyone. My love is going to be different than your love. I don’t think anyone’s love is ever alike, even when they may seem similar, they are not. And there is nothing wrong with that. I mean how boring would it be if all the love out there in the world was exactly the same? That would be rather boring and predictable, I know I wouldn’t want that, would you?

    When you find someone who reminds you how to believe in love again… It’s a feeling like no other.

    It’s a genuine risk that you take when you find someone that makes you feel this way. Because there is always a chance at heart ache or the inverse, you find your person, the one that you were meant for; the one that was meant for you! I would much rather take my chances, than live with the regret of not knowing if they were meant for me or not. That is probably the one factor that remains constant in this life, and it goes with almost everything you do, not only love. But we are focused on love right now lol. I mean if you don’t take that chance going in with the thought that you might get your heart broken, you kind of default to never taking any chances. Then you find yourself missing out on many things in the end. You could meet your soulmate, the one that is meant to be your person to grow old with. Or at the very least a valuable lesson that you needed to learn for your journey ahead. So, learn to take those chances. Learn to take those chances despite the little heart ache associated, because it is worth it in the end. Self-growth, self-improvement is always more valuable in the long run; for yourself.

    img_6554

    What self-love looks like for me, everyone is different, but this works for me. So, go out there find what works for you, you got this my friends!

    Self-love is something that you also need to give yourself grace with. It’s probably a lot harder to find the love within oneself but, it is in there and it is far more important than anything else. Loving oneself is knowing that despite any heart aches that may arise, you got yourself. Like you can carry your own heart when you find that the person you thought would help you carry it; and they decide to set it down instead. Knowing you can lean on yourself to carry you through anything. I follow a few people on social media that influenced the way I look at self-love. I am grateful to have found those accounts on Instagram, like @katelynn0009, @adam.roa, @tati_ballesteros, or @freespiritedlatina (all of these which I highly recommend!). There is actually quite a few out there to help you in your journey of self-love. A lot of the time, people think you need to be fully healed to find love outside from yourself. This is true to a certain extent in my opinion. You need to be healed or willing to heal as you go at the very least, coming into any relationship. Let me rephrase that, because you don’t really need to be healed per se. The fact is that you can still love someone regardless but, in my opinion, you need to be willing to grow and heal from your past just the same. So, finding that person that is open to grow alongside you is worth taking that risk. I always thought I needed to heal before I can even find love and yes, that is kind of true but like I mentioned earlier, you never know when love will come knocking at your door. Sometimes you need to answer the door, even when you feel like you aren’t all that ready for it. You just have to find grace in yourself when you hit those walls. Finding love within you, even when you find love outside, will carry you on past any relationship that comes. Because you know yourself and your worth, so you know the kind of love you want in your life. Truth be told though, it doesn’t mean the risk of heart ache is any less. I mean there is what? 7-8 billion people on this planet? You are going to meet different people along the way towards finding that one that is meant for you. So, keep the faith in yourself and continue on your path. Love will come when it’s meant to.

    Cuando encuetras a la persona que te motiva y te llena con amor… Esta cancion refleciona a un nuevo amor entrando a tu vida
    The Journey to You...

    To the girl of my dreams.
    I write this poem for you to read.
    I don't know when that will be.
    But it's here for you to see.

    You are the muse that elevates my hopes.
    The one that inspires me when life is hard to cope.
    You've said that you admire how I accept you, truth is I absolutely do!
    All your quirks, your past, your hopes and all of your dreams, I hope they will come true.

    There's just something about you that genuinely speaks to me.
    Magnified by your grace, in the simple smile you gave.
    When you say my name in its proper space, melts me to my knees.
    And fills my heart with glee.

    So, I'll take those steps forward, with your hand in mine.
    And never change a single rhyme.
    Knowing you were there at the end this whole time.
    I'll relive the heart ache and bear the pain of my past life.
    With a blissful smile.

    Just knowing you'll be there at the end with me.
    Makes it all worthwhile...

    To all who read this, may you find your own journey to someone who makes it all worthwhile...

  • Unlocking Creativity: My Summer of Poetry and Connection

    Setting the Mood…

    It’s been quite a while since I last posted anything. How has everyone been? I hope everyone is doing great, and life is treating you well! I’ve been away for some time now; I do apologize for leaving you guys just waiting and anticipating lol. Just kidding but seriously let’s talk about my summer since my last post. What do you think? Yes? Okay cool lets dive in…

    The Writing Process…

    Well, where do I begin? My life has been going well. Slight ups and downs just alike. It’s been interesting to say the least. I mean its life, right? The good with the bad, just have to take it in stride when it’s trending down. But alas right now it’s trending upward! I’ve had the genuine pleasure of experiencing new things along the way, met some great people that I’m excited to say our connections have genuinely grown through community and like-minded interests. I was lucky enough to make it to most of the Poetry Nights at the Green 320 in the city which was amazing!

    Wrote so many new poems that I think I’m going to have to post on here, in a separate area, maybe its own page? We’ll see, I have a ton of homework lol. Any who, I met a great friend that I am very excited to have entered my life as I navigate this new stage. Maud Lavin, she is an amazing writer that I genuinely look up to, in this poetic space. I’ve talked to a few friends and mentioned that I’d love to have her as my mentor through my newly found poetic career. It was by mere chance that I met her and was able to network with her. I’ll be honest though; networking isn’t my favorite thing to do lol. I’m a bit of an introvert and I don’t usually put myself out there, right? Well since I had the pleasure of going and reading my poetry, that side of me is actually starting to change. I’m no longer intimidated or afraid to read my work in public. Thanks to discovering places in the city where open mic’s take place. The Chicago Poetry Center events they share have been a huge help for me. As they post many events throughout the city giving me more than one place to take part in. Building a community with likeminded individuals is one of the most fulfilling things I’ have ever been part of. Since the Summertime, many people came and went, in such a short time as well. Truly grateful to have met them, each one of them. I also had the pleasure to work alongside of Maud a few times this summer and just recently as well. Also, I met a really cool poet who is one of my favorite people I got to share the mic with as well. Lisa Marie Farver, her poetry is awesome, very engaging, funny, and just downright delightful. I truly enjoyed seeing her work and listening to it as well.

    Maud Lavin
    Lisa Marie Farver

    Another amazing thing that I was able to do this summer, well it was more so the fall but still you get it lol 😅 . Was to host my own poetry night as well. With the help of my gracious sister in law, Jillian, of The Umbrella Vintage Collaborative! As you can see in the pictures above it was a blast. The day before Halloween, we put together a poetry night called Whispers in the Dark. Opening the door to working alongside both Maud and Lisa. Honestly it was a fantastic experience. It almost felt surreal, like I was in a sense coming full circle. Since February to now, was honestly a huge jump for me. I mean I was a nervous mess to share my work, let alone read it at the start of all this. To where I am now, it’s a massive jump in my humble opinion. If you would have told me back then, I’d be hosting and emceeing my own event. I’d say nervously, “fuck you! shut up!” lol. But here I am though.

    Yours truly!!!

    I’ve also been in school for the fall semester, and it’s been going well thankfully. At this point when writing this, I’m towards the end of the semester. Hoping to register for the following course of classes I need to take. I’m not entirely sure which classes I need (I need to get on top of that 😅). Its ok though I Plan on doing just that in the next couple of days. I’ve been very blessed with these great opportunities; I can’t even begin to describe. But I am eternally grateful to be where I am today. In a far better place and mindset than I was when I first started. My confidence has grown vastly, all thanks to poetry and reading my work at open mic’s, who would have thought? lol. I have also stepped into the realm of submitting my work to a few different publishing avenues. So, now it’s just a waiting game.

    Whispers in the Dark event!
    Achieving great things on my new path.
    Precipice of Growth...

    On the precipice of discovering who I am and where i fit in.
    I got a glimpse of what's to come, of what my life would be like if I followed my dreams.
    Of all the people that I would meet.
    The most authentic sense of belonging.
    Nothing is going to be straight forward.
    Then there will be times where it may seem like an uphill battle.
    But keep pressing forward.
    you got nowhere else to go
    So, keep going bro.
    But its ok, it's not all doom and gloom.
    Theres still beauty at the end of it.
    Like the gold to be found at the end of a rainbow.
    Endless treasures to behold and wonders to be felt.
    It's going to surprise you even more than you could ever imagine.
    And that's fine in itself.
    You're growing, your life expanding.
    What more could you ask for in this timing space.
    You got this bro; you got your self to where you'd least expect its honestly time to celebrate.
    Keep gratitude, be thankful every day.
    You'll see that precipice was worth the wait...
  • Poetry Journey…

    Another beautiful Monday poetry night at The Green 320! The featured poet, Maya Odim, was wonderful, and the open mic poets John Bateman, Maud Lavin, and Shontay Luna were amazing. I even had the chance to read a poem myself! It was a fantastic experience, thanks to the incredible curators Joy Young and Timothy David Rey. Loved every moment of it! 🌟📖 #PoetryNight #TheGreen320 #OpenMicMagic

    So, where do I begin? Well, maybe starting from the beginning would be a good place, I suppose. As I stated earlier, I’ve always loved poetry. It’s been a huge part of me, even in my younger years. I’ve always had an affinity for writing poetry; honestly, it’s truly the earliest form of literature I remember liking. I don’t really remember how I even realized I loved poetry or how I was introduced to it, to be honest. I think, and I could be mistaken, but I think I saw the movie Dead Poets Society with Robin Williams, and it resonated with me.

    “Dead Poets Society” profoundly impacted me when I was younger, igniting my passion for poetry. Robin Williams delivers some of his best work in this endearing and melancholy masterpiece. More than just a film its a poignant exploration of self-expression, individuality, and the power of words. Truly a timeless inspiration. #RobinWilliams #DeadPoetsSociety #Poetry #Inspiration #Masterpiece

    When writing my poetry, I feel like I’m more capable of getting myself out, like I can say exactly how I feel or what I’m thinking. Without worry about being judged or thought of not being enough. There was a poem I wrote, called “Finding Me…”. Where a stanza states pretty much what I’m referring too. “Poetry is synonymous within me. Every stanza I write may not be the best, but it’s me, nonetheless. Writing my feelings, so eloquently didn’t even know I could give them life and meaning.” I write every day, and I’ll be honest, it’s gotten better as I continue to write. I’m not going to pretend like my poetry is Pulitzer Prize winning poetry, but it does resonate with some people; and that’s the whole point. That’s the whole idea of it in my opinion.

    I’ve loved Poetry for a long, long time. Since grade school, I believe. It just flowed out without me feeling like I had to over think it, or second guess it. It’s a little cliche but it kind of came naturally to me. I wanted to be a writer when I was younger, I have always been fascinated with the power of words. They can trigger all kinds of emotions and bring about new thoughts behind them as well. For example, you can say, “I’ve seen you in a new light as the moon light shines in the night sky, letting you know that you are not alone.” That can be interpreted in a few different ways. It can mean that you’re not alone even when you may feel like you are, there is always someone or something there that see’s you shine. Or it can be viewed as the love you found in a new relationship that brightens up your outlook on life. Truly, there are many ways to view that and interpret it. It all just depends on the individual that is reading it and the context that is held within them. Something that simple like what I have written above is quite genuinely a poem in its self.

    Delve into the world of poetry with Addison Anderson’s narration of Melissa Kovacs’ TED Talk lesson, ‘What Makes a Poem?’ His engaging delivery brings Kovacs’ insightful perspective to life. Don’t miss it! #Poetry #Inspiration #TEDTalks

    I love words, and the power they hold. We have to be cautious with our words though as well. As beautiful as they are and lovely as they may make us feel, they can also do damage unto others or ourselves. Negative talk or writing can hurt you or other people a lot harsher than you may intend. Believe me when I say that negative self-talk was one thing I had to overcome. Still am as I write this, because we are our biggest critics and talk the harshest to ourselves. Self-love and writings of that can help quell that. Not saying it is easy, because it’s the hardest thing to do especially when you are at your wits end with things. For myself, poetry was my outlet. It was the way I could let out what I was feeling and not hold those thoughts in, further damaging myself. It was truly one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I felt like a lot of my poetry was turning dark and self-deprecating. I felt the damage I was causing myself. I decided to turn that around and stop writing those types of poems.

    Don’t get me wrong I don’t regret writing them. If I’m completely honest they were some of my best works. I look back on them now and I am just in awe of how dark I got. Breakups are great fodder for sad depressing poetry, but they can also be great to gratitude poetry. I dabbled in the latter, but managed to change my outlook on it all and changed my poetry. I started to write more positively, where I was grateful even for the pain that certain things were causing me, because they were lifelong lessons that I had to learn. I try to be positive all the time, sometimes it’s a little harder than other times but I have managed not to get fully diverged into the negativity. I have written a bunch of different pieces, and they run the gambit from love to feeling unworthy. My favorite has always been a nice romantic poem. One that touches the heart strings.

    There are many modern-day poets that I have been following on my social media accounts. That quite literally reinvigorated my love for poetry. So, I don’t recall if I mentioned it prior or not, but in my later teen years I more or less let it get away from me. Then I got married and my focus and love for spoken word was lost along the way as well. It wasn’t my partners fault, nor the marriage itself that took me away. I think I just kind of became complacent with how my life was and became more or less lazy to chase my dreams. I don’t expect anyone to understand or agree with it even, but that was how my life turned out at that particular point. I don’t regret any part of that truthfully. It was a part of me, and I chose to live that way. I mean regardless of it, it’s in the past and I can’t change that now. I’m actually grateful for it all, it’s taught me some life lessons that I needed to learn (who am I kidding I’m still learning). It has been all a part of my journey to be here as I am today.

    Poetry was something that I turned to especially going through the divorce. It really was a hard time for me, I wanted to get things off my chest. I wanted to say things that I needed to say but couldn’t really say out loud. I don’t know why I felt like I couldn’t or felt that I needed to keep it in, and poetry was my only outlet. I embraced it completely and it’s grown more so from that starting point. Way back when I was first introduced to the poetic world. I love that for myself. That even though I was in such a hard head space I was able to come back to myself. To what I loved from a time when I was young.

    Daisies in the cityscape.

    Gratitude…

    Yesterday was amazing, out in the city doing my thing,

    Listening to poets’ voices rise and sing.

    Mayda Del Valle, the featured poet, takes the lead,

    In her verses, each word hitting like a musician’s touch, bringing our collective souls in sync.

    It was the second time I listened to her read. The first was unexpected,

    My first open mic, not knowing how I’d feel, let alone if I’d fall in love.

    And I did, wholeheartedly I gave right in.

    I fell in love with poetry.

    I delved deep, searching for more, like a poetic junkie, craving the next verse,

    One that speaks to the masses, just like hers.

    Hoping someday my words hit someone’s soul, the way it grabbed me and took hold.

    There were many poets that day, some I hope to see again, that’s easy to say.

    I’m truly grateful I got the chance to see Mayda read again.

    I hope next time I can share my poems, having her grace me with her guidance, making them just as great.

    I’m grateful for many things, not just seeing Mayda read her work.

    I’m grateful that finding The CPC opened the door and genuinely walked me in.

    Not literally, of course, but the feeling I’m carrying,

    Which brings me a sense of belonging and meaning.

    I was always an outsider,

    Soft-spoken, kind of a loner.

    But since falling in love with poetry, I’ve only grown louder,

    Letting my voice be heard, and even in some cases, understood.

    It’s such a magical feeling.

    And I’ve only just begun, nowhere near hitting that ceiling.

    Grateful I found my voice.

    Grateful, through poetry, that I am truly me…


    Had the incredible honor of meeting the amazing poet Mayda Del Valle at Poetry at The Green 320! Her words are truly inspiring and powerful. Grateful for this unforgettable moment. #PoetryAtTheGreen320 #MaydaDelValle #Inspiration #PoetryCommunity
  • Jumping forward a bit…

    I always feel blessed when spending time with my little ones!

    Hello friends! Welcome back to the blog! Hope you’ve enjoyed it thus far! So, per my last post, I basically filled you in on how I got to this point in my life. I think I maybe jumping forward and back in time as I post new content. So, for this post we can jump ahead to here and now. First off, how is everyone? I hope everyone is well and living their best life! Now that we’ve checked in, how about we dive in!

    Life is a struggle. One that can eat you up and spit you out if you let it. As of today, it’s trying to bring me down and I’m doing the best I can to keep my head above water. I’m contemplating on taking on a new job—or rather a different realm of the same job. Travel Endoscopy Technician, that’s what I do for a living, I’m an Endoscopy Technician for a hospital that I love. I help doctors perform endoscopic procedures, from colonoscopies to bronchoscopies. So, in other words we look at the booty and lungs haha😅. Sorry just wanted to lighten things up.

    It’s been a great job, that’s opened many doors during my time there. Lately though, even though I love it, it’s been hard. I want to move forward and feel a bit stagnant. Like as much as I do move I haven’t really moved ahead. So, let me take you back to it. I believe it was around December of last year. My hospital created a program to move up the ladder in nursing. Going from my Endo Tech position to a full fledge nurse. Which I was overly and enthusiastically excited for! Unfortunately it didn’t pan out how I’d hoped. The whole program just kind of fizzled out. That was it, I didn’t really hear from the program developers until recently. To be honest even that was a bit vague.

    I’m still hopeful that something will work out in the end. But, I need to keep looking out for myself and my kids. Ultimately it’s about them, and providing the best life that I can for them and myself as well. It’s difficult sometimes to stay positive but positive I need to stay. Even in the face of all the difficult times that I find myself in, I keep telling myself that I’ll be ok. That I’m working on what I need to do to get where I want to be. I mean even this blog is something that is helping me get where I want to be. Getting to share my journey with you all, the good and the bad as it comes, its all a part of it. Especially when I get to dive in to my poetry.

    I truly love writing poetry. It’s helped me through a lot in my life. I get to express myself in ways that I never really thought I could. Like with my job and it feeling stagnant. I get to write about that and let out how I feel and every frustration becomes real. Like there is no wrong or right in the words I write, and that’s the most amazing thing to me. Going to poetry events like readings and open mic’s is something I never thought I’d do. Check this video out.

    Poetry in the park

    Expanding my world with poetry is something that I can’t even begin to put into words. I truly feel realized, like the missing piece of myself was found through poetry. When I go to those readings and poetry events, mind you I’ve only just begun, I feel like I found my tribe. It’s truly a blessing that I’m grateful to have found myself in. Even going through some hard times like I have been, I can always fall into my poetry and bring myself back. I showed you guys per my last post my first time going to a poetry reading (and treating myself after). It’s something I always look forward to and want to keep up and dive into deeper.

    Poetry in the City

    Finding Me…

    Finding myself as of late.

    I feel like I’ve been lost

    and in search of something great.

    Who am I?

    Is the question I ask.

    Do I even have an answer?

    I don’t fully know yet,

    but I’m taking the time that I represent.

    The time I long to extend.

    It’s the most frequented currency

    and its value is more than worthy.

    I haven’t found me just quite yet,

    but I’m taking the steps.

    The steps of finding who I am.

    The steps of who I so eagerly await.

    Poetry is synonymous within me.

    Every stanza I write may not be the best,

    but it’s me, nonetheless.

    Writing my feelings, so eloquently,

    didn’t even know

    I could give them life and meaning.

    Finding my niche,

    in this vast sea that is poetry.

    Is truly a blessing.

    One I thought I’d never quite get.

    Finding my people, like minded individuals.

    Hearing their words and expressing tomes.

    Resonating within me,

    as if they lit up a huge bonfire

    that was just waiting for the spark to ignite my soul.

    Poetry, the life blood of the person I long to be.

    So, slowly I come to the understanding.

    the understanding of who I am becoming.

    A father, a brother, a son, and a lover.

    I am a poet…

    Thank you for reading! Please comment below on how you’ve used poetry through hard times or good times. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

  • Poetic Beginnings: How I Found My Voice…

    Stepping into the world of poetry at my first reading event! Catch a glimpse of the experience. 📖✨ #PoetryNight #LiteraryAdventures

    Hey friends! Welcome it’s my first post! I’m so excited to start this new chapter in my life. I want to share as much as I can, as frequently as I can as well. Today was an amazing day, so I figured why not take that much needed step in starting.

    So, where do I begin? Maybe a little back story from me, just to set the tone for this. Well as you already know, I’ am a recently, newly turned single father of two amazing little girls. Well that’s not entirely true, truth be told. I am going through a divorce still and managing through it all.

    It’s been a long time coming, I guess. My marriage was struggling for years. Years that unbeknownst to me, were already set up for failure. I say that because in my mind even though we had our issues I thought we were a strong couple that could work out whatever problems may arise. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for us.

    I mean that relationship started off pretty rocky from the start. When we first started to date, back in the day, (hahaha that makes it sound like I’m really old or something.) we were on and off pretty frequently. I had gone through a pretty bad break up prior to meeting her. I thought I was over it, but in hindsight I really wasn’t.

    It was a toxic relationship which I thought I was deserving of. Spoiler alert I wasn’t! The toxicity of that, spoiled a good relationship that could’ve been something, before it even had a proper chance to take hold. Don’t get me wrong I’m not bitter. I’ve come a long way from then. It was a hard and arduous road to get here today. None the less it did unraveled a good thing.

    No worries! It was a lesson that needed to be learned and ingrained deep in my the soul. Funny, I look back at that and think, was it really necessary to go through all that? I don’t know. But I digress, here we are today, going through a divorce.

    The start of my journey back in the Day!

    Initially it was rough. I wanted to do everything and anything I could possibly think of to stop the divorce. I wanted to prevent it at all cost. I wasn’t ready to let go, I was deeply in love and didn’t think I could move on from it. Even though I was laughing in the picture above (which isn’t shown.) I was in a deep state of pain. Losing weight with out wanting too, like it was just something I had to do. Was not ideal it’s actually pretty unhealthy (don’t recommend, by the way!). I was not hungry and hardly eating, basically a recipe for disaster just waiting to happen.

    I was lucky enough though! The only thing I had to deal with was a bad bout of gout in my knee. I guess the rapid loss of weight wasn’t really great, who would’ve known right (sigh…). I’m not going to lie I fell into a deep depression. Contemplating things I never thought were ever going to pop in my head. It’s actually quite scary to think of that.

    I went through a rough patch in life, needless to say. The depression got pretty heavy. I was losing the sense of worth in myself and I really didn’t how to bring it back. Poetry was my outlet during all of it. But before I delve into the role of poetry during this period. I’ll explain just what it meant to me and how I found my voice.

    Poetry has always been a big part of me. It was something I could turn to, to express myself with. Not that I couldn’t express myself, it just felt natural with poetry. I used to write a lot when I was younger. Some how I lost it along the way. Years later, I turned to it again. The difference now is I write at least one poem a day, but I write everyday. I love poetry, just the expressive nature of poetry is sublime and exquisite.

    Ethan Hawke sums it up best in this Ted talk. Have a listen, hopefully it inspires you the way it inspired me.

    So, because I was going through a hard time where I couldn’t make sense of any of it or bring meaning to it. Poetry just naturally became my source of letting it all out. “It” being the way I was feeling, thinking, and what I wanted to say but couldn’t. I had gone to many places within my poetry, I won’t lie initially it was pretty dark and gloomy. Poems of feeling unworthy, of feeling less than, and just questioning what I was doing with my life. But, in that same sense of sadness, through poetry I found beauty and gratitude. I had to change my outlook on how I wanted to express myself. I mean there isn’t anything wrong with sad or gloomy poetry, I just didn’t want my whole focus to be on that.

    I’ve been through a lot to get here today. I am grateful for everything even the bad. It’s all been a lesson that I needed to learn. I mean, I didn’t want to learn this lesson, but I finally gave in. I’m still learning, it really is a constant changing and evolving experience. The experience of life. So, lets walk through this experience together and see where it will lead us…

    Lifting Myself Up…

    In the depths of this cavernous abyss,

    where sorrows and woes persist.

    I fight to stay afloat, though thoughts intrude,

    anchoring me down in this solitude.

    Lost and powerless, amidst the gloom,

    even reasons to fight seem consumed.

    Yet, little souls need me, unseen looking in the mirror,

    though in their eyes, my reflection gleams.

    I search for an escape from this internal mess,

    shaping me in ways I can’t confess.

    I refuse to surrender, seeking the glimmer within,

    like a phoenix, I’ll rise, resilient once again.

    Though the journey is fraught, I’m not alone,

    hope resides within, brightly shown.

    Brighter days await beyond the despair,

    I’ll overcome, with courage to spare.

    I’m not religious, yet in darkness,

    I pray, for fears to fade, for strength to stay.

    Opening myself to the divine’s will, hoping it guides me,

    and fortifies me with love and kindness towards myself.

    For amidst the chaos, I find Solace in this truth,

    I’m not alone.

    I will rise once again.

    In pursuit of my soul’s graceful youth…