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
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
Fall weather commence
autumns unwanted presence,
What was once a warm embrace
now altered like a cold compress
Wish it could hold on
when I say, “not yet”
but I wave summer kisses so long
the only warmth here is in my chest
The overcompensating heater
It’s not the winter I dread
but the accessory of the unwelcomed,
cold-hearted people.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
Covered with burns,
blood and dirt.
I used to be so beautiful.
Since when did you become so unconcerned
with all that I have given you?
Tall sturdy trees,
Bodies of water for centuries,
But it’s been much longer
since you’ve cared about me.
When things are good,
They’re really good.
But when things are bad,
They’re really, really bad.
Such a blessing is it
to be so engaged
in the emotional aspect of things,
and to feel so deeply on this world.
But they were right about the cursed part.
The inevitable double edged sword….
I’ll take more of the good please.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
After all the hurt that you’ve been through,
you somehow still manage to transform it
into all this love that you give.
What a beautiful thing
to find light in the darkest place.
What a heart
to still want to beat the same.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
Copyright 2019 Valerie Sanchez
My stomach flipped every time someone would say,
“Things can’t be that bad” or
“It can always be worse.”
It’s like throwing salt on an open wound,
and invalidating how I feel.
Depression.
It’s not just about someone feelings sad.
And for many, it’s not perspective
that we need.
It’s empathy
and understanding.
My feelings are Valid.
Illustration by: Fatima Seehar
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
In Her Orbit 