Watching you Sleep

As I watch you breathe,

Inhaling and exhaling so softly,

I feel an inescapable sadness.

Life hasn't been so easy for you,

You've sacrificed more than a person should.

At times, your decisions have been met head on,

With opposition and questions.

Despite all the struggles, you kept going.

There was something in your heart,

A fate you wanted for the future generations,

Or at least the opportunity to give us a different destiny.

This hasn't been a simple lesson to learn.

Not for you, not for your children, 

Neither for us your grandchildren, nor your great grandchildren.

Yet the lesson keeps unraveling day by day…

Slow at times to the point of absurdity,

But nonetheless, the puzzle keeps taking form.

I feel a level of responsibility,

For the decisions you have made.

All your sacrifices were not so I could lay around,

Complain of the past and live unattached.

This is not what I learned from you.

You were one of the first teachers in my life.

I am who I am because of you.

You were a pioneer of your time,

You took steps and ventured a journey other's feared.

Your courage to step into the unknown,

Is deep in the hearts of our family.

I pray for you my dear Abuelita…

I feel nothing but a profound appreciation to you.

We are all here because of you,

And that is simply undeniable.