   | Amály Celeste - May 17 - June 17 - Forever There is an ache that takes hold of me deep at its core it is an ocean of loss of love smothered Amály, my child Amály name I still call in my sleep, with the enormousness of longing to love her to mother her to be frustrated and tired by her to have bore witness to the life she would have lived odd as it is, to embrace the ache is like holding her again in the cradle of those moments in which she looked back at me with the the brilliance of recognition "Mami, I know you. I am glad you are here." it is a month-long ache the seventeenth of may to the seventeenth of june every day weighted by the simultaneity of living and remembering on this day... I labored for twelve hours on this day... she was still in a coma on this day... they removed life support on this day... we went before Yemaya on this day we brought her home on this day she took her last breath... blessed by the ache blessed by the child Amály Celeste forever May 17, 2008 Aida Salazar This poem was written soon after I had given birth to my third child, yet the pain of having lost my first born child persisted, as it does today. I return to the sentiments here to find refuge in my longing, my ache, my inability to let her go, my insistence of holding her within for all my days. |
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The moon's been a powerful force in my life and right now her presence, her imagery, her inspiration are more alive than ever. On May, 21, 2016, I'll be a featured reader at the Lunada Literary Lounge -- a long running open mic and feature writer reading series in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District that only happens on the full moon -- curated by poeta extraordinaire and true homegirl, Sandra Garcia Rivera. I'll be reading excerpts from my memoir In the Womb of Love about losing my first born infant daughter, my novel in verse for middle grades, The Moon Within, and also some of my story that inspired the ballet, By the Light of the Moon, of course! Full moon energy is intended for celebration. I'll be celebrating my return to writing, a return to my heart, to my commitment to storytelling as an act of resistance and positive social change. I am beyond grateful to the Lunada and Sandra especially for the invitation, for creating this space and keeping the light lit for writers to find their way home. Coyolxauhqui, Aztec Goddess of the moon.  |
@mimawritesGood excavation at work here... thank you for paying witness. To see my older blog you can visit: www.blogamama.blogspot.com Archives
August 2018
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