I was raised into the world
by a Venezuelan goddess,
her name the first and sweetest word
on my baby-pink tongue,
mi mamá, el pulso de mi corazón
my mother, the pulse of my heart.

mi madre es
a woman with the sun’s warmth
in the smile of her eyes
when she tells me ghost stories
ancient as the history of her bloodline,
her palm warm and soft as the tortilla dough
she’d make us on lazy sunday afternoons
while it slips into mine.

She will be the moon
keeping the unsteady tides of my life afloat
as the tears fall across my lips
Soy una lesbiana
Kissing my forehead
and whisper-singing lullabies to me
like I was a child again,
la mujer con que terminas será
la persona más afortunada del mundo.
The woman you end up with
will be the luckiest person in the world.

At her deathbed
she whispers
the last words to her final chapter
I grasp her limp hand
and wish we never had to
let go.

do not worry my love.
although life has torn us apart,
the time will come
when we’ll meet again.
for the sun will always rise above my grave
and prepare itself for the warmth
of a brand new day.

So here it is, mom.
My final song for you.
For us.

Adios por ahora,
mi mamá,
luz de mi vida.
Adios
por ahora.