Category: Poems

In the darkness he sings the ópera of the heart, the joy of the day, the voice of my melody

How can someone become so small to sing out of a box?

Through the two giant speakers you could hear him clearly saying “vuelve, ven!”

The choir also sings in the background “ven” to which the girl replies ” I can’t I’m too big” but even at age three she recognizes the necessity to go, to be there, to return home. The gates of heaven will open wide and everyone will walk through it, but what if he can’t get out of the box? I must rescue him! He’s too little to brake through the bars. The girl seats quietly and waits for his voice to sing again, “Alla será mejor!”

Can one’s voice live through time, can one’s voice fly through the sky and reach a broken heart, can one’s voice sing so loud that angels rejoice over the earth?

Aspirations were ahead of me each school year
My role model, my sister, was very accomplished at age 14
She obtained first place in her class year after year
I admired and looked up to her as she wore “señorita” clothes and shoes
My fancy clothes, at age ten, were my dad’s dress gifts
I don’t remember choosing what to wear
But my sister, she had earn the right to choose her clothes!
She was mature, lady-like, and old enough to make her own decisions
She was in the varsity volleyball team and was part of the Youth Committee at church

I still admire my sister’s strength and courage
Especially when it came to living on her own, not by choice
My parents had decided to relocate our family to the States
Both my brother and I joined them six months after they left Peru
But my sister’s visa was rejected, so she moved to Argentina
There, my parents thought, she could live closer to my mom’s family
There she would attend university, but the plan was always for her to reunite with us
She was only 17 when my parents left Peru, and 18 by the time my brother and I left

I remember spending more time together with my sister as I got older
She finally took me on her trips with her girlfriends.
During the six months, while my parents lived in the States
My siblings and I moved to Chiclayo with our grandparents from my dad’s side
There, we spent one of the best and longest vacations we could afford
My brother had to hang out with 6 girls, grandma, aunt, two cousins, and us sisters
My grandpa entertained us with Chinese checkers, and army whistles each morning
We hang out at the beach, walked on the streets at night, talked, and laughed very much

After attending to change our visa status, the lawyer advice our parents to retrieve our paper work, we could no longer leave the country.
Back in Argentina, my sister’s visa had been rejected for the third time.
We were separated not knowing for how long.
Our grandma in Peru got ill, so my sister flew to Peru to take care of the responsibility of the oldest son of the family, our dad’s.
She got to see our grandma in her worse conditions, and stand with the rest of the family at the funeral.
While in Argentina, she got to experience our mom’s side of the family
There she became very close with our grandma, mom’s mom
Our grandma loved God dearly, on one of her bible study visits she was hit by a drunk driver causing her early death.
Again the responsibility and honor to be with the rest of the family at one of our family’s funeral became my sister’s, she had to bear severe pain

Eleven years went by, and our family was finally ready and anxiously waiting at the airport for my sister’s arrival from Buenos Aires, Argentina!
That moment was a living testimony of God’s love for us
We cried, we laughed, we kissed and hugged
And it felt like my sister had always being home
Nothing was awkward, everything was beautiful and emotional
From that year 2013 and the next years, she visited for Christmas and New Year’s
Until she was able to relocate to the States in 2017

We won’t know why God allowed this separation to happen, it’s irrelevant to ask why. But to believe and trust that miracles can happen strengthens our faith and our willingness to serve Him. Praise God for my sister, she can now experience the love of my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and the awesomeness of our nieces and nephew!

This text is dedicated to my sister, Nathaly Danna Tapia Ramos, who continues to carry the señorita role model to the next generation, our nieces Marcela and Milani

Having encounter on and off-road with the magnificence of these creatures bodies and beauty! Seeing all the details of their camouflage.

Today I experience freedom
Freedom is not attained through our efforts,
Freedom is attained through pure love.

In my life, I’ve experience pain and sadness,
I’ve witness injustice and suffered through disease,
I’ve felt weak and broken,
rejected and distressed,
humiliated and empty…
and with each of these feelings
as I wept and cried out Your name in the dark,
You brought joy to me each morning.

As the years go by I’ve witnessed how much love You’ve given me
In the darkest of my days, when home seemed so far away, You were there for me
when my heart faded, You came and played music to revive it
You give me a reason to live,
You give me strength, for I was saved from slavery,
slavery to the pleasures of this world,
slavery to intellect,
slavery to opinions,
slavery to attention

The source of my happiness comes from You, because You love me,
You love me, even when I leave your side,
You love me, even when I mistreat others,
You love me, even when I have negative thoughts,
You love me, even when I don’t speak to you.
Heal me father for I am not worthy to be called your child!
I give my life to You, for I cannot lead it with purity,
I can’t walk straight without You holding my hand,
I cannot see without Your guidance,
I cannot breath without Your protection,
I cannot love without Your love.

Thank You for loving me,
I am weak and retched but I choose to give you the little strength I have,
I want to serve You all the days of my life,
for without You I am nothing,
take everything from me,
but never, never leave me!
I love you Father and I yearn to be with you all the days of my life!

El Camino Hacía La Libertad

Hoy camino en libertad
La libertad no se obtiene por medio de nuestros esfuerzos
La libertad se obtiene por medio del amor puro

En mi vida he sentido dolor y tristeza,
he vivido injusticias y sufrido enfermedad,
Me he sentido débil y destrozada,
rechazada y confundida,
humillada y vacía…
y con cada uno de estos sentimientos,
llorando y clamando tu nombre en la oscuridad,
me llenaste de alegría cada mañana.

Pasan los años y veo claramente cuanto amor me has dado
En los días mas oscuros, cuando mi hogar se sentía tan lejos, estuviste conmigo
cuando mi corazón se estremecía, tu llegaste y con música lo reviviste
Tu me das razón para vivir,
me das fuerzas, pues me salvaste de la esclavitud,
la esclavitud a los placeres de este mundo,
esclavitud a la sociedad y a las opiniones de la gente,
esclavitud a la atención de otros

Tu eres la razón de mi felicidad, porque tu me amas,
me amas aunque me separe de tí,
me amas aunque no trate bien a otros,
me amas aunque mi mente este llena de pensamientos negativos,
me amas aunque no te dirija mi palabra durante el día.

Bendíceme padre, no merezco ser llamada tu hija! 
Te entrego mi vida a tí, porque no puedo llevar una vida pura sin tí.
No puedo caminar recto sin agarrarme de tu mano.
Mi vista esta nublada sin tu luz.
No puedo respirar sin tu protección.
Gracias por amarme, soy débil y miserable
pero decido darte lo poco de fe que tengo para servirte todos los días de mi vida,
porque sin tí no soy nada.
Despójame de lo que tengo, pero nunca, nunca me abandones.
Te amo padre, te amo, y anhelo estar contigo todos los días de mi vida!

the missionary seeks justice in foreign lands, offers bread to the needy, builds houses for the orphans, laughs with the poor, meditates with strangers, and preaches love to the loveless

the missionary nurses the children, builds castles out of mud, climbs the fig tree, and sells the fruits for an exchange of a smile

the missionary is truthful, honorable, and capable of expressing clearly the feelings which God has imparted him with

the missionary gives and builds her character by mere contemplation of the sorrows of this world

the missionary is strong and courageous and could kill a lion to save a life, and yet he would grieve for the beast for his heart is pure

the missionary is one who fights valiantly for his friends, for to save a life, he may have to die

a missionary dreams alive of a better outcome for all

”For I am persuaded, that neither death nor sorrow can separate us from the love of the Father”

So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

Taken from Psalm 73

dusty air creates swirly patterns
with each step, the weary beast splashes majestic dust
heavy and overwhelmed, it shifts with rhythm and as it rests –
its eyes remain open through the night

its treasure is exceedingly great
its ears can hear the voices of the angels, and the voice of the child
each sound reminds it to continue the journey, which has been a hard delight

its limited mind can’t comprehend hospitality matters among the brethren
it is the peaceful assurance that comes from its master –
a trajectory that started with confidence and heavenly advice

as it finally lays down, the most beautiful cry elaborates its mind –
lifting its soul to a profound and godly encounter

for unto us a child is born, the blessed child that brings salvation to this dry land – perfection in the purest form

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

Little hasn’t met you yet but her inexperience tunnels the incoming winds

there they come again, in time for the butcher to make ready a hot soup

she is not fully aware of table manners nor is she willing to risk understanding distinctions

the ladder only leads to one place, and  that’s where she wants to be, ‘to discover life I have to climb it’

The mystery of the unseen becomes so desiring that she purposes in her heart to conquer vision

but first she must run by the beast, ‘I can’t fight it but I can be strategic’

time is running out, the house is filled with heat

and there as robust as one can be, the beast is in the courts of my presence but it does not move

Little did not fight this battle, empty at last there is dirt and walls and in the far corner the ladder

it is now or never, she begins to climb the ladder and starts to see the horizon

life! how, when did this happened? An entire population awaits, a camp of soldiers, whose loyalty remains at home

and as little walks through the burned civilization, she realizes that she shared the same home

Tears water the ashes, she is too young to understand the future, too young to understand the heart, too young to forget, but young enough to love them, young enough to miss their presence

it is yes, a fulfilling illusion developing her brave heart

Vanity of vanities – said the author
When a man focuses on these
he gives up on who he is to be what others want him to be
the privilege to be secretly recognized becomes a public trade
He looses his soul to labels and shadows come into his life
and like a slave his feet and hands are no longer under his control
He does what he is told to do, no longer choosing freely
Pity, for such man’s masculinity is lost
and it is only up to him to recover it

So he pleads: Psalm 61