[Poem-a-Week] if grief is a visitor by Anatalia Vallez

I must have often 
and numbing myself from the pain
is dishonoring those who've been killed by the state
then I welcome the grief 
place a hand on the earth 
pick up the pen with the other 
and keep fighting

I may not start the fire, but I will fan the flame for you
I may not create the wave, but I still have momentum and weight in this body
we all have a place in dismantling this
find your heart
the one afraid to be dismembered
find a candle 
pour the wax in the crevices
find a song
something with a heavy drum
and let's keep going 

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Anatalia Vallez is a writer, actor, and creative alchemist from Orange County with roots in Guerrero, Mexico. She is the author of the poetry collection: The Most Spectacular Mistake (FlowerSong Press, 2020) which has been featured in the LA Times, LibroMobile and KPFK Radio’s Nuestra Voz. Currently completing her MFA in Television, Film and Theatre at Cal State LA this Spring, she's also working on a second collection of poetry and curating a virtual BIPOC-centered community called Homies Who Submit. Purchase her book here.

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