Survival
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The optimist in me has realized Toxic positivity doesn’t work Sometimes, there is no silver lining To a bad experience that we’ve heard I’ve learned it’s more effective to listenIdentifying someone’s feelings insteadHolding space to hear them out Without a resolution at the helm This is what I’ve longed for myself To be treated with decency Without the threat of being
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This is absolutely crazyEveryone around me made it seem Like having a beautiful baby Would be easier than I’d think Don’t tell me that I waited Too long, so it’s no surprise To experience a miscarriage You’re older and must try To keep your positivity Cast your dramatic emotions aside You just need to keep trying Forget science as the guide But, what
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Tiny red flags wave in front of me Little characters jump up screaming Pay attention, SarahWhy in the world can’t you see? This job is going to hurt you Your livelihood is at stake The compensation isn’t worth itYou’ve made a huge mistake Feel that, deep inside youIt’s your intuition you’ve ignored It’s doing all it can to save you Yet,
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Plastering on a mask Suffocating my skin A face full of makeup Hiding who I am within Nothing but an imposter I don’t want them to know The money is too important I need to be able to show Our families I can do it Support my husband by myself The only way this will happen Is to step outside my shell The one
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Loving life in college My goals now crystal clear I want to create a life for myself That makes my background disappear Being broke as broke can be Makes it hard to grasp How to survive these next four years And keep my future plans in tact Life at home is flailing Mom is angry at me for Choosing to be with my
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Understanding the market Dad envisioned something more If we had extra kids again It could explode as it did before Welcome a brand new family With five children of their own Needing to make an impression We deep clean our tiny abode Desperate for real friends We are happy to oblige Allow us a bit of happiness We will peacefully stand by Two days
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His eyes met mineI glared inside Of his putrid soul That’d been caught This wasn’t a dream As real as could be Those damn snakes Were his hands on me Fuming, I hissed, “get away” Wanting to rip off his face Pains me to know he lives in Dad’s glow A perfect child who owns his embrace While I wrestle and write For a
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Laughing makes us free On this crisp October night Gathered round Mom’s birthday cake Giggling to her 37th candle’s delight Craving our grandparents warm hugs Their genuine love, support, and grace It’s unnecessary to impress them They love us no matter what we face Needing his in-laws validation He’s a good father, they need to knowHis kids are busy learning Not only selling
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Your ignorance is showing I cannot read your mind How was I supposed to know You couldn’t work after a suicide? Speak up my delicate flowerAgain, I cannot read your mind You’ve made me into a monster With these steady tears you cry Your needs are complicated It’s different with the boysGirls have explosive emotions We prefer to bottle up and avoid
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Step one, gather your crew of kids Step two, teach them its ok to fib Step three, pack up their things and go Step four, leave them in front of grocery stores Step five, keep them stocked with goodsStep six, count the money, keeping the score And that’s it Don’t let people figure out what you do For if anyone
Sarah Lopez 