It’s easy for one to hookup under the moon,
But I want you in the morning
and late afternoons.
When the sun has finished stretching
and maybe some coffee too.
Breakfast on me,
lunch on you?
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
Love has always been the constant moon that orbits my world,
A gentle pull, never to depart.
I’ve had so many chances to walk on solid ground
but I rather be the other kind of girl
In its gravitational embrace I spin and spin,
A dance of souls where we may or may not win.
Bound to the light, I drift and glide,
Around your warmth, where true heart reside
floating in time
Yours and mine
In this vast endless sky, we’re lost and found—
Two stars forever in love’s orbit,
inevitably unbound.
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
Utterly enamored
You are
my diamond, my beau
Together we are much rarer, softer
blissfully unashamed
I’ve seen breathtaking worlds in many eyes
But there hasn’t been any thing
quite like you
I have never really known “safe”
Neither have I been truly secure in one’s arms
To become one entity during the night
and when the sun comes out from the dawn,
we reign
I see you through skin and bones
I guess I forgot what it was like to be afraid
You’ve challenged all of my defenses
This is the most peace I’ve ever had in my life
since you came.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
My body is my home
Where my mind is free to run rampant
Dwelling vigorously,
my eternal soul
There are sturdy limbs that carry
down to the halls of my fingertips
Windows in the shape of eyes
If you look inside,
can you see the castle I have built?
I had to learn how to love myself first
before I could continue to give
Constantly in renovation
of new ways to take care
so that I am never too empty, too unkempt
too depleted, or dependent
I will never be homeless
— Take care of your home.
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
If I wanted to
I know how I can stop the whole world
Separating myself out-of-body
Just to become one with your every word
My own bottomless ocean of feelings…
feeling you entirely
With such unfathomable intensity
Caressing you without a single touch
I can come to you vacant
but still very much whole
so I can offer you a place to get away
And gentle reminders that keep you sane
A forbidden territory for us deeply felt kind
I find comfort in knowing that you are not alone
And not letting you forget about your soul
If I wanted to…..
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
Don’t get so caught of with moving forward that
you don’t know how to live in the now.
You can’t get there if you’re not here now.
Be patient with yourself.
Time has always been my biggest issue.
Love is loving all.
Good and bad.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
Even if we fall
Even if we fail
Despite what all we’ve lost,
or had to say goodbye too
As much as we want to forget it ever happened
We wouldn’t be the resilient beings we are today
if we haven’t toughed it out through the worst of storms
We will always grow
and learn from those memories
And maybe even laugh one day
at how big we thought they once were
The heart is much stronger than you think.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
I never really cared about the superficial or typical things.
The expensive gifts, fancy dinner dates,
or the extravagant surprises.
I want the things that most people don’t have.
The things that are far more valuable.
What people constantly gamble between their fingers
and don’t tend to appreciate until its gone
Just some of what really matters most.
Reaching out
Hand stretched in dark waters
It’s something I know I should do less of
What a perpetual mess, love
Knowing I can’t save everyone
But still trying to do the most impossible tasks
Like some modern day superwoman
Though many have gone lost at sea
It takes a real unethical being
To watch someone struggle like that…
I won’t watch you drown.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
I shouldn’t have to ask twice
Or have to make sure
I deserve to know
I deserve more
I deserve better
I hold you to my expectations
Because You wanted to be here
In my home
In my world
With your hands around my torso
I didn’t go look for you
You found me
So now that you’re here
It’s your choice
Which way do you want to go?
I thought you were all I had..
But I had me.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
Your laugh was wholesome,
But always so short-lived.
Although you light up the room.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
At the time I was spiraling
I felt like I needed you more than ever.
I wanted you,
but I wasn’t ready for you.
It was really this desperate need of some stability
when the ground began to crack beneath me.
Even though I knew this to be true.
You were the only other reason I still stood.
You were my ground.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
Free yourself
Give love to yourself
Be unapologetically who you are
Who are they to try and dictate who you are or suppose to be
other than yourself?
You should be treated equally regardless
and you should love who you want to love
Demand it, shout it to the sky, fight for it if you must
You don’t owe it to anyone to give someone an explanation
You don’t have to feel embarrassed
and let it hold yourself back from Your truth
It is long overdue when it comes to spreading more peace on this earth
more equality
more acceptance
and just an abundance of love.
I promise you, there’s nothing wrong with being you.
Let love conquer hate.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
We may bleed the same blood
Drink the same water
Eat the same foods
But we do not give off the same energy
.. I am not the same as you.
I need to protect my energy.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
I apologize to myself for ever thinking
that I had to apologize to anyone
for being who I am.
For speaking up when I am wronged,
for being selfish sometimes,
for wanting better for myself,
or for loving hard..
I’m sorry you couldn’t handle my love.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
A promise broken..
You can’t wish it away
You can’t just make it disappear
like it never happened
We ignore our gut feelings
because we want to see the good
We ignore the truth
because we think it keeps us safe
But after all is said and done
what will we ever do with all this pain?
I’ve known all along.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
Before me you didn’t really understand a woman’s heart
You were young, naive, reckless
I saw potential in you, defended you, showed you deeper than skin, and loved you for who you were.
At your lowest, I was there
And as you rose, you chose someone else
So don’t come back to me when she has left you
because she couldn’t see what I saw in you…
I will not be here.
I am not your stepping stool.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
In Her Orbit 