Goodbye is always bittersweet, and here are the heartfelt words that express that goodbye.
YEAR ONE
My First Time
I dived in head first
No time to think or ponder
Much less meditate
“Go for it”
“You can do it”
Phrases I heard
Over and over
And over
Again
But I was scared
Feared rejection
Comparison
The realization
That I would
Terribly
FAIL
YEAR TWO
The Tower
6:08 AM
That’s when it happens,
The perfect moment to stare.
At 6:11, it’s enveloped in light.
At 6:05, shrouded by darkness.
But at 6:08 AM
God!
THAT’S WHEN IT HAPPENS
GOLD
EVERYWHERE
rose gold
yellow gold
silver gold
Blindingly Bright
Achingly so
It screams…
“Look at me”
And once more
It happens.
Gold
Everywhere in your eyes.
Blinded,
Your eyes glisten
And then
It’s gone.
YEAR THREE
Clad in Plaid
He had flowers in his hair.
He was lovely.
Was he daring?
I know not.
Was he smart?
I bet.
Did I know him?
Absolutely not
But…
He had flowers in his hair
And for me,
That was enough.
YEAR FOUR
Ending a Four Year Relationship
“¡Buen día!”
From the guard at the main gate
Will no longer start my day.
I won’t trip
Over the same cracked sidewalk
In front of Bellas Artes.
Mayra
Will give my morning tortilla
To someone else
And another will drink my coffee
The cat I dubbed
Oreo
Shall bother me no longer
I’ll be able to
Peacefully
Read Bram Stoker
I’m tempted to say
“I’ll miss you”
But I won’t
How could I miss a place
That lives in me
I went through her
And she went through me
I live in her hallways
And her hallways in me
Porque soy jerezana
Y la IUPI siempre vivirá en mí
I think it is safe to say that for all those that studied at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, life will never be the same. You remember the little things, somehow they become HUGE. Like that one guy in humanidades that had flowers in his hair, for example, or the way the sun rises above THE tower. This four part series is an attempt to do the impossible, recount my years as a student at la IUPI. Hopefully someone enjoys it, and remembers their time within the same walls. My life changed in the campus I learned to call home, and I will be forever thankful.