By: Joy Ortiz
I have come back.
Red dirt roads,
The Punto's black rocks,
Green fronds,
White surf,
And endless blue
Color my days
In Puerto.
Ten years stretches
Between the sand of her beaches
And my pale-girl feet.
I sink my toes into her,
Burying them in memories.
Puerto and I,
We have both grown.
People stream in
To break our solitude
Via better roads.
We have smoothed out our bumps.
Making way for progress,
We have prospered.
I returned to Puerto
With a lover.
We collapse side by side
After lazy, languid days
Filled with food,
Family, and fun.
My ten-years-ago boyfriend
Tucks our daughters
Into their beds,
Kisses sweaty foreheads,
And sings songs of love
And sweet dreams over them
As the humid heat
Of a Mexican day
Slowly succumbs
To the cool of night.
My days and my heart
Are full.
Nights find me curled
A breath away
From loving arms
As my seven-years-husband
Slumbers beside me.
A chorus of wild dogs
Echos through the streets,
Joyfully barking,
"Freedom! The moon!
To the beach! Run!"
Pacific waves roll
Into Puerto's sandy shores
With the comforting rumble
Of my father-in-law's snoring.
How grateful am I
In the imperfect still of night
That I have returned to Puerto.
Seven years ago,
Choosing love instead of fear,
I unknowingly bought my ticket
To paradise.
Oh, the great mercy and goodness
Of a God who chose
This love for me!
May He bless Puerto, too,
With love and care,
With paradise days,
And tranquil nights.
As we grow,
Puerto and I,
Make us ever more lovely,
So when we meet again,
We can embrace
As delighted sisters,
Kissing cheeks that glow
With the joy of reunion.
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