We are the broken and longing.

The beaten and deserted.

We are the stray you left behind. 

Wanting more, needing more. Damaged. Hurt.

We are the two Spanish to be black into white to be Spanish.

We are the “please and thank you”. 

We are the apologizing for something that isn’t your fault.

We are the “take your elbows off the table at dinner time”.

We are the “say ten Hail Mary’s and our father’s” every night.

I am the christian from a catholic family or the catholic from a christian family.

We are the kitchen is always hot, but the heart is too cold.

The whatever in forever in the loyal and disloyalty. I am the beaten and tired. I am the working hard, never hardly working. I am the “Never Depend On Nobody.” I am the “figure it out.” I am the everlasting. 

As a child, I was taught boundaries and principles. Always stand up for yourself, but never speak unless spoken to; mind your business and keep your mouth shut when it comes to other’s problems. If I was lost, I was taught to figure it out and not depend on anyone. I am the unwanted, but loved. I am a christian, that is what I was told. But, I am the one who does not believe in all of the bible. I am the one with torment from not having a communion, with pain from not knowing of Ash wednesday. I am the stray that was estranged from society. I was the not allowed outside with the children from my neighborhood or the going to school far from home. I am not normal.