My mother talks of grief

Like it's fresh snow

That's fallen on your sweater

You can simply brush it away

Or let it melt

Either way,

It won't last very long

A temporary thing that

One must let go

For me grief is an ocean

With turbulent tides

Of overwhelming moments

And calm waters

Of peaceful contemplation

It is never ending

Always turning always changing

You can try to push away the waves

But they will find their way back to the shore

It is easier to learn to float

And let it take you where it wills

My mother has attempted

To contain her oceans

And she views that as a strength

I'm sorry that she cannot see

The beauty in the grief

The absolute humanity

Or grieving over loss

Of remembering what has been

And what would never come

I'm grateful for my ocean heart

That ripples with a drop

That loves so deeply

One cannot measure its depth

One that can both ebb and flow

To know both pain and joy

At the same time

I'm grateful for the never ending tides

The constant give and take

The all consuming moments

Where the Earth could almost shake

And the quiet moments of stillness

Where everything's okay

One does not have to

Wipe away the grief

One can let it be

Forever if they'd like

Because storms will always happen

Even if the sky is clear

And tides will keep on turning

Even when nobody's there

Your heart will not stop loving

Even if your love's not here

I hope this helps you

Accept your grief

Like the ocean waves

That wash up on the beach

With every breath

We become something new

There's power in grief

And there's power in you

My body is

On fire.

I live inside

Of flames.

No amount

Of water

Could ever dull

The pain.

They weren't just children

They were endless universes

The purest form of stardust

Infinite possibilities

And the world is certainly dimmer

Now that they're gone

All I see are children crying

And my arms aren't big enough

To wrap around the world

Oh Pachamama

Does the earth weep too?

Tell me you can wrap them up

In beautiful cocoons

Keep them safe until

They're butterflies

Ready to bloom

Dear Lord

It has been 40 days

And 40 sleepless nights

Dear Lord

We've all been praying hard

For something to go right

Dear Lord

We've learned our lesson now

You can clear the flood

Bring us doves and olive leaves

And rainbows from above

Dear Lord

Haven't they passed your test

And shown You of their faith?

Unwavering and never faltering

No matter what You take away

Dear Lord

I'm trying very hard

To trust in Your divine plan

Dear Lord

Why did they have to die

For the sins of their fellow man?

Dear Lord

Are You a just God?

Will they get what they deserve?

Dear Lord

I pray You bless them

And show them all Your worth

Dear Lord

It has been 40 days

And 40 sleepless nights

They've proven they're Your children

So protect them with Your light

Ignorance is bliss

To only those who sit

In the comfort of white

Privileged fences

You cannot pretend

That you're better than them

While you perpetuate hate

Under guise of "just rest"

Looking away

Won't erase what's been done

But it will make it easier

To forget it's all wrong

To forget that your neighbours

Don't just live down the block

If we don't care for our people

There's no reason to stop

Power will keep tripping

Bombs will be still dropped and

Our families will keep on dying

Unless we all take watch

Stare at it until it hurts

Because it fucking should

Bear witness to the wounds that you

Ignored like they didn't exist

I feel each shockwave

It rips through my soul

My ancestors are mourning

They beg for no more

No more babies should die and

No more parents should cry

No more prayers said at night

Asking just to survive

It shouldn't be radical

For our future to be

Bright, full of hope

And empathy

For no human is free

Until we all are you see

There's no celebrating life

While killing carelessly

The blood on our hands

Will never run clean

Yet we keep on cheering

For the "American Dream"

For ignorance is bliss

For only those that sit

In the comfort of white

Privileged fences

#FreePalestine

To be alone

In time and space

Can make the world

A lonely place

So when you find

Another soul

Do your best

To keep them close

You don't have to move

All the mountains at once

It's okay to take breaks

My love

Life's not a sprint

But rather a dance

Sometimes you take

And others you give

Learning to balance

Your needs from your wants

Takes more than just patience,

Resilience and trust

That you're going

The way towards your luck

You'll get there in time

Believe this you must

If love is a dance

I've got two left feet

Don't know the rhythm

And can't find the beat

If love is a game

I've been benched from the start

Despite wanting to play

I can never take part

If love is a battlefield

I've taken far too many wounds

Everyone's left me

With another excuse

And if love's worth losing

Why am I so fucking scared of letting go

See I don't think love

Is quite so poetic, you know

If love were a fire

It'd be an unstoppable blaze

A fine wine

That knows how to age

If love is a lemon

Both bitter and sweet

Does that mean love

Is your heart skipping beats?

And love is a drug

That gets you hooked the first time

Nothing ever tastes good enough

Convincing yourself that "it's fine"

A whirlwind full of quicksand

That you're desperately trying to keep and

You're gripping, and ripping, praying for this

While it's casually slipping through your hands

Is that love?

Is that what we wanted?

It seems that this love

Shouldn't be quite so hard then

Suffocating

Hard to breathe

Desperately trying

To catch my breath

I've swallowed

Oceans, my dear

Cried up rivers

That flooded with tears

Tsumanis and

Quicksand

Sinking in water

And land

Scrambling

To grapple at

Crumbling

Foundations

How far does

One fall

From their

Lowest point?