Ana Castillo

Destiny is not a metaphysical confrontation with one's self, rather, society has knit its pattern so tight that a confrontation with it is inevitable. (p59)

The road in either direction

is neither longer nor shorter,

nor more narrow nor wider

than the fear that closes your heart.

paintings

and books conceal more than they ever tell.

As if we should not be scandalized

by surprise bombing over any city at night,

bombs scandalizing the sanctity of night.

No one is very certain about anything after a while.

We pray for joy and love to fill our hearts,

our days and our nights

And I write these few

words

into the earth

before I forget that sadness

isn't everything.

We pray that our government's leaders

look into their souls,

that they think with the heart of a mother

in making the decisions that affect

the world's populations.

You chose, as I choose

to despair, or not

on a given night or day.

That despair turned inside out

you called love.

When i say ours was a love affair, it is an expression of nostalgia and melancholy for the depth of our empathy. (p39)

We said nothing for several minutes. Our minds weighed like ripened fruit on the branch. When one is confronted by the mirror, the spirit trembles. (p49)

And life is in my hands,

suckling at my breast,

thrives on the rhythm of my beating heart,

warmth of my throbbing belly.