The Poetry Marathon

Two roads
Such a difficult decision
One should make

A war between
The unknown
And the one
Familiar with your heart

Two roads
Look quite alike
The only difference…
One you will take on
Immense pain
And the other
A profound joy

Which should you choose
The road
Whose ending
You are aware of
Or the road
You have no clue

Two roads
A decision one should
Make
The time is ticking
So choose before
All time is out
And the universe will choose
Your fate

-Angelica Villarruel

We move around
Without knowing
Where to go
We move because

We know
We MUST GROW!

-Angelica Villarruel

I miss
How that little stubby tail
Of yours
Would wiggle
Like the speed of light
Every time I’d come home
From a long day
At work

You became
not
Only my spoiled
Baby
But my confidante

You’d look at me
As if I were crazy
Anytime I’d
Go off the whim
With whatever was on my mind
tilting your head
From left to right

Unaware of what I was saying
You’d lather my face
With your tongue licking slime

A sense of nostalgia
Ensues
Each time I think of you

It’s been 7 years
Since I had to put you down
The memories still seem so fresh
I just wanted you to be
Pain free

I still remember
That day
It was like you knew
You stood so close to me
Giving me all the last licks
You could

It was all too fast
When it happened
Barely had the chance to tell you
Goodbye
I couldn’t find the guts to leave your side
So I watched you
Take your last breaths
I whispered, “be well and good night”.
Once it was all said and done

I just wish
I could go in time
And bring you back
To when you were alive and mine

When you look at her…
LOOK AT HER!

Don’t just look at the ways
Her lips
Pucker up
Every time she crawls in
To give you a kiss

LOOK AT HER!

Don’t just look at how
The grey strands
Of hair
Have begun to
Trace the edges of her face

LOOK AT HER!

Don’t just look
To see
If the color of her eyes
Have changed over time

LOOK AT HER!

When you look at her
All you notice
Is…
She has aged
A young girl
Whose supple
Glowing skin
Has become
Cracked and dry
Like a desert with
No rain

LOOK AT HER!

Look at her to see how
All her beauty
Lies
Further than what’s
On the surface
Even in the wrinkles
You can see
All the knowledge and wisdom
She’s gained
Her smile
Has become
Like a sweet cherry pie
Her eyes are much
Gentler now
For they’ve
Witnessed too much
Through the years

When you look at her
LOOK AT HER!

Look at her like its the last day
The last day
You’ll ever see
What love looks like
When it’s staring
Right back
‘Atcha!

-Angelica Villarruel

Most times
We don’t even know what we say
We assume we have it all right
When reality is…
We’re just cherubs trapped
In a grown body

Our minds play this game
Of
Cat and mouse
Is it mind over matter?
Or
Body over mind?

We claim to have all the answers
In just the little time of being alive

We boast about
All the achievements we’ve made so far
Yet have no clue that
There’s so much more to do

What we’ve obtained
Means nothing in the grand scheme
Of things

We claim we know what life is all about
Truth is…
We don’t

We’re all just learning
From past mistakes
That were made
In our previous
Lifetimes

What we do know
Is how to put others down
We act like everything is rightfully ours
We quickly become defensive
And act like
Others have ulterior motives
Ones that might put us to shame

Too many of us
Live a life full of fear
We don’t know how
To just let go
And know that in life
We can never be without

We have an infinite supply
To satisfy all our means
All we have to do is
Reach for what we dream

We need
To just
Let our words
Flow out
Without hesitation
We need
To love
Without
Letting our hearts
Go too far
That our minds
Take lead
When we should
Just express
Ourselves freely
We need
To follow
What we say

we need
To drown out
The wants of others
We need
To BE

We need
Ourselves
As much as
We need someone else

-Angelica Villarruel

White
Is refreshing
Just like
When the sun’s
First rays comes
Through the window panes

White
Is pure
As pure
As a baby’s
Giggle
Purer than the glare
You see in those innocent eyes

White
Is peace
It’s mellow
It is a new slate

White
Is classic
It is the color
We try to use
To replace
Our mistakes
You know… Like white out

Black is the color
I choose to wear
From my tank tops
To underwear

Black
Bestows
Confidence
It embodies
All the colors
Found on a color palate

Black is connected
It is not
In the absence of
Like its
Opposite

Black is warm
It is security
It is alert
I like to paint
My creations with black
Most times
Write my name
In this undeniable ink

Black and white
When mixed together
Bring confusion
I
Stay away from
Those grey hues…

The end
Isn’t
An end
At all

It’s just
The beginning
To new sunsets
And rainfalls

The end
Is another
Jumpstart

New possibilities
Arise
When you’re able
To see the sunlight
And
Walk into
A new
territory
An open space
One where you won’t be
Misplaced

– Angelica Villarruel

I see her in the light
She refuses to see herself

A beautiful masterpiece
Her flaws
Become the magnifying
Glass
To the infinite possibilities
Of her being

When she looks in the mirror
I see that she’s staring
Right
Back at me

Our eyes lock

Through me
She gets a glimpse
Of her reflection

She finally recognizes
The magic
She holds inside

She is my
Counterpart
My universe
Somewhere lost
In our space

-Angelica Villarruel

I’m fighting the ‘second’ old me
When it comes to loving you

The old me that would
Easily give up
When things got a little
Too tough

I’m trying to keep
The original me alive
The “Me” that had the will to fight

Before
I was made to commit
Suicide
To the love I had inside

When it comes to loving you
I continue to fight
For something I see
Can be a lasting thing

I can say forever
But forever really isn’t a thing
Because forever only lasts
As long as we have enough time to blink

So
I just want to love you
Until my heart
Decides to take its last beat…

-Angelica Villarruel