if grief is a visitor

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March 21, 2023

if grief is a visitor

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

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.