Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you
When you left, I was ten
You took me with you
I fell into deep depression
Every day I thought about you. Your laugh, voice, and your bear hugs
I remember going to work with you and to the beach on summer days. I remember your smell, your smile.
I remember how red your eyes were after a long day at work in construction. I remember that you could not do anything without drinking, on a daily basis.
Read more: Not a Day Goes By That I Don’t Think of You by Marianne Valencia
Shattered 
Counting down from age 17…
17. My heart is shattered by my girlfriend. I never imagined she would leave me.
16. My other half, Lillie, my sister, moves away. I lose my voice. The moon, my only friend, goes away too.
15. My Uncle Danny passes away. I wonder how many people will attend my funeral.
14. For the first time in three years, I see my absent father. In a courtroom.
The King
You screwed up,
Man, look at you
Locked up again
Four more years in the pen
Man, I gotta say,
I had a feeling it’d happen this way
All my life I’ve been raised by my mom who played the role of mother and father.
Since I was five years old, my father has been in and out of prison. I law saw him almost ten years ago, when I was eight.
My dad was pretty chill and sometimes a nice guy, at least to me. But he went to prison for domestic violence and robbery. All of his bad behavior was caused by his alcohol addiction.
When I was a boy, sometimes I was afraid just to speak to him, and I would stand in the corner shaking because of his temper.
My dad is 5’7” tall, with medium brown skin, black hair and black eyes. His eyes look just like mine.
He was gang-related, but he’s no longer involved with gang activity. He quit that when he learned the hard way—behind bars.
