Paloma Creates 💕 Poetry & Art

Moments captured in poems, verse, prose, art, and photographs. Original works by Cynthia Hernandez www.palomacreates.com. http://www.amazon.com/Cynthia-A-Hernandez/e/B01FJD4R8I

[cynderh]

Tethered

Wanting to fly away

today

but my wings

are tethered

to my heart

which is anchored

to the here and now

the us and them

the pain and fury

the despair

and hope.

—Cynthia Hernandez, 2021

[cynderh]

Wishes

If wishes were horses,

then beggars would ride.

And instead of here lonely

I’d be by your side.

Laughing and drinking

like we hadn’t a care.

If I squint real hard

I can see myself there.

If I listen in silence

I almost hear your voice;

the stories you tell

are a beautiful noise.

I can feel your soul enter

the room in my mind.

But that’s the closest

we’ll get in these

well-distanced times.

As you look out your window

At the city’s bright lights.

I hope you feel all the warm wishes

glowing to you tonight.

—Cynthia Hernandez, 2020

[cynderh]

Love in the Time of Coronavirus-19

Stem the tide.

Stop the bleeding.

Open the curtains.

Let in some light.

We must do what we can

while we’re social retreating,

to uplift each other

and keep hope alive.

So pick up the phone.

Drop a loved one a line.

Take a deep breath.

And let love’s light shine.

We all need each other

more than ever before.

So please do what you can.

I thank and implore you.

Tomorrow will come.

It will be a new day-

made better or worse

by the choices we make.

-Cynthia Hernandez, 2020

[cynderh]

Blind Faith

Fear around every corner

and I can’t find the light.

I used to be so hopeful

but I’ve lost my line of sight.

What lies beyond this dark horizon?

I cannot see the way.

So I hold tight to my blind faith

and I just take it day by day.

—Cynthia Hernandez, 2020

[cynderh]

Dogwoods will bloom soon

But you’re not here to see them.

Like spring rain tears fall.

—Cynthia Hernandez, 2019

[cynderh]

Remembering Patti

Generous spirit. Contagious smile. So glad we knew you for a while. So sad you left before you were done. You will be missed by everyone: By all who knew your wicked smarts, By all who felt that great big heart, By all who laughed along with you. By all who shared your outrage too. We all will miss your warm embrace. We were all so blessed by your casual grace. Our hearts all ache that you are gone, but our spirits know that yours lives on. In your sister’s laugh, so like your own in memories held by all you’ve known. In the changes inspired through the work you’ve done. In the light you shined on everyone. In the feisty voice we can’t forget. In the joy that overcomes regret. We thank you for the gift of you- We’re sad but we are grateful too. 💙

—Cynthia Hernandez, 2019

[cynderh]

Reliability

Doom and gloom

invade the room

Like a pair of evil twins.

They chase me ‘round

and knock me down.

But I get up again.

I can’t unknow

The things I know or

undo what’s been done.

I can’t make right

so many wrongs.

I can’t fix anyone.

But I will love

‘til love runs dry

—and my love’s an

endless well.

I’ll do my part

to soothe your heart—

to douse your private hell.

I’ll see you through the worst of it

and through the good times too.

Because no matter what life dishes out,

I’m always here for you.

—Cynthia Hernandez, 2019

[cynderh]

A Breath of Rain

A cleansing rain

renews my soul

draws me out

of some dark hole

I lift my arms

up toward the sky

take a deep breath

and close my eyes

I inhale the scent

of fresh and new.

Exhale my bitterness

toward you.

—Cynthia Hernandez, 2019

[cynderh]

Gathering Clouds

Anxieties are building.

Like clouds they start to form.

I'm feeling so uneasy

about the coming storm.

I know that it will level

everything I've known.

That I will need to rebuild

my demolished sense of home.

But I am a storm watcher

and clouds don't bother me.

I stand my ground

when all around

destruction's all I see.

Within the storm a calm exists.

And in the calm I'll stand.

Safe within the hurricane,

that I know I can withstand

I'll close my eyes and feel the rain

that pelts against my face.

I'll feel the wind against my skin

— its brutal cold embrace.

When nothing's left but earth and sky

I'll start my life anew.

I'll build myself a home I love

and a life that's real and true.

— Cynthia Hernandez, 2019

[cynderh]

The Final Word

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lay down your guns.

Lift up your hearts.

Open your minds.

Hold out your arms.

Extend to all

your love and your care.

You want a friend?

There’s one standing right there.

For in the end I have faith

that what’s wrong will be righted.

But in the face of this darkness

we can be so short-sighted.

We can forget the words

that our hearts know are right.

That unarmed truth will prevail,

That unconditional love is our light.

That Dr. King’s dream.

Must be lived in our waking.

That we must reverse course

on the damage we’re making.

We must fight with our all

even as we lose ground.

We must never lose hope.

Though the hardships abound.

For the vision he had

we are destined to live.

But we first must acknowledge,

atone, and forgive.

So that love rises up

unencumbered by fear.

So the truth can ring out

through the land far and near.

So that racism’s damage

can be halted at last.

So that we create a great future

transcending our past.

Cynthia Hernandez, 2019

[cynderh]

Battle Cry

You can’t erase reality

by denying we exist.

You can’t undo the truth of me

with this fearful, hurtful twist.

There’s nothing that we’ve asked of you

but to let us live our lives.

Still you want to take away our rights,

Deny. Destroy. Deprive.

You can’t rewrite a history

of hard-fought battles won.

We won’t just stand here idly by

to see progress undone.

No, we will come together

to fight this battle to its end.

And we won’t do it alone,

we’re flanked by allies,

joined by friends.

We will protest and we will rally,

make sure your policies aren’t passed.

We’ll persist in being who we are.

From our next breath to our last.

For we are living courage.

The embodiment of brave.

And you are just a coward

in every fucking way.

--Cynthia Hernandez, 2018

[cynderh]

Crying Days

Some days are for crying

and working through the sad.

I might wake up feeling good,

but I’m soon left feeling bad.

I try to chase the gloom off

and put on a happy face,

but a dark cloud hangs above me,

casting shadows in its place.

Heavy hearted, I carry on.

And just get through the day.

My voice has lost its song.

My joy has flown away.

When at last I rest my bones

and say a prayer for slumbers deep,

I clutch my pillow wet with tears

and cry myself to sleep.

--Cynthia Hernandez, 2018

[cynderh]

The Nature of Damage- A Warning

You can’t take back the bullet

once you’ve fired the gun.

The bullet pierces flesh;

the wound can’t be undone.

You can’t take back the hurts

or pacify the pain.

As much as you might wish to,

you can’t go back again.

If you retract the knife

you plunged into a heart,

you can’t control the bleeding,

once the bleeding starts.

You can’t unbreak what’s broken,

or repair what you’ve done.

You can’t retract the bullet

once you’ve fired the gun.

--Cynthia Hernandez, 2018

[cynderh]

Hurt and Healing

This all brings up a painful past.

Though time moves on,

dark memories last.

So many share this history.

Our anger is no mystery.

We’re grateful for the ones who share.

Their stories take us right back there.

Echoes of our own despair—

repeat repeat repeat.

The damage done affects us all.

Protectively we build our walls.

Pretend we don’t feel pain at all.

Until our masks and guises fall.

And we are left exposed.

And who knows what exposure costs?

So much along the way was lost.

A bridge too far has long been crossed.

We can’t go back again.

But tomorrow brings another day.

We must create changes that will stay.

It’s time that men relearn their ways.

It’s time we women have our say.

And when we speak

we must be heard.

We must be taken

at our word.

We must express the pain we feel—for that’s when we begin to heal.

[cynderh]

The Promise

They rammed him through

as rammers do.

And nothing could stop them.

To the power they yield,

there was no shield…

at least not on that day.

But the time will come

when the ones been wronged

will finally have their say.

And then heads will roll and

tears will flow

from the mighty,

white-y

men.

And justice will rise

and the truth will sing.

And we will

FINALLY

hear

true freedom

ring.

[cynderh]

Real Love

Love is not possession.

I’ve known that from the start.

So I do not hold you in contempt

although you broke my heart.

I tried to see things through your eyes.

I still wish you all the best.

Despite some pain and suffering,

real love has stood the test.

For love is not possession.

So you were never “mine.”

And though for now this hurts like hell,

these wounds will heal in time.

I wish you every happiness

as you journey on life’s way.

I thank you for the life we shared.

I will cherish every day.

—Cynthia Hernandez- June 18, 2018, 2 AM

[cynderh]

https://www.amazon.com/Ironclad-Heart-broken-hearted-eternally-hopeful/dp/171862705X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qi