Forgiveness

When I was smaller, my mother's palms
always knew how to find my face. There was always
an object close enough to her, always looked
like it could meet my back, or my knees or my head.
growing up someone was always screaming,
always saying you're gonna kill her. always someone trying
to stop a fight. When my words were inappropriate,
her fist would block my mouth. Always saying things
like "o te haces gente, o te mueres".
"Yo no voy a criar un paracito".
This is the reason I am so good with words nowadays,
this is the reason people are impressed when they meet me.
this is the reason I always know what to say,
this is why I'm so tough yet so human.
I'm tougher than most because the mediocrity
was literally beaten out of me. God knows
what I would have been. You don't stand where I am,
there for you can't see. The beating never beat me,
the beating made me.

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Authors note : "o te haces gente, o te mueres" is a Dominican expression for turning out decent. and "Yo no voy a criar un paracito" means I am not going to raise a parasite.