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by Tezcatli Mariah Diaz
Warm and soft cheeks brace for my privileged lips
Sweet daughter
Hija querida
I proxy for those who didn’t ask for it
I hold you close for the unjust goodbyes of the day
Legacies of inocencia have been inherited by youth the world over
Unfulfilled juventud redistributed
Sweet child, live for those robbed of their vidas preciosas
Sweet giggles of my babe
Your sounds vibrate for the titters that will be heard no more
Mi hijo, my son
His eye contact is my simple entitlement
Connection of souls
I cannot take for granted the light in his eyes
Sight that sees for those who see no more
Inocencia lies beneath rubble and the dust of unsettled hate
Nuestro mundo perdió un respiro de esperanza cuando los pulmones de los inocentes llenaron de polvo del odio
Their last breath inhaled our destruction
Their last exhales reached out, longing for their parents embrace
Reaching arms that do not know the wars of their nations
Mis hijos, reach for me and find my touch for those who could not find comfort at their extended little fingertips
Niña chiquita
In sleepy subconscious she reaches for my face in order to slip into her dreams
Mamitis is universal
Mi hija
Be comforted by my cheek for those who will be soothed no more
Our world’s hijos meet their creator and know not how they arrived to her embrace
How can innocence comprehend?
Faiths world over share common virtue
Yet eons of destruction over the Who sends our youth to divine end
Over and over again
Living children
They see our silent tear-filled eyes
Their confusion is loud
Sorrow is louder
Mothers mourn a world away
Tonight
Nose to nose
Respiro profundo
I breathe in your exhale, my children
I feel your life for those who live no more
One last embrace for the night
Delegation of grief and gratitude
A mother’s unspoken vow
Proxy of pain in unimaginable lament
May a million privileged mothers and fathers lift the grief that sorrowful parents endure if only for a moment to catch their breath
