understand the pain you hide,  
The way you keep it locked inside.  
You push away, afraid to fall,  
But still, I love you through it all.  

Your heart may doubt, your mind may race,  
But in your eyes, I see a trace.  
A love that’s real, a love that’s true,  
And I will stand right here with you.  

Though you retreat, I’ll never leave,  
In every storm, in every grieve.  
I see the scars, I feel your fight,  
But I’ll keep loving through the night.  

So don’t be scared, don’t push me away,  
I’ll love you more with each new day.  
I understand, but know this too—  
My heart will always wait for you.

A friend asked me
how to be a writer.
I wanted to say,
lock yourself in a room,
scream until you have
a poem and no voice.
Open your veins and bleed
until you know that your bones
are pure words and sorrow.
Act as if you slit your own throat
and all you can bleed
are your own regrets
and all of the darkness
you boxed up for inspiration.
Write your mom a letter,
tell her you're leaving
and you won't be back for awhile
Because being a writer is traveling
through all seven layers of Hell
and denying anything is wrong.
Forget loving yourself
when all you have is a pen and paper
fused to your wrist
and Jesus is tapping at your skull
saying turn back now.
Warn the neighbors that if they smell burning
It's just your soul
clawing at the front door trying to get in.
Learn how to be alone.
Learn how to lose everything you have
in order to feel release,
learn how to only feel deceased
from now on.
A friend asked me
how to be a writer.
All I said was
don't

Strangers once more,  
With hearts untethered, we part ways.  
No more laughter echoes between us,  
There’s only silence where words used to dance.  
We were everything to each other,  
Now we are nothing.

What we loved, what we shared,  
Seems distant, like a forgotten dream.  
I don’t miss the way your smile felt like home,  
I don’t feel the absence of your touch.

I refuse to remember,  
How you knew me,  
How you understood my fears and secrets.

It's a blessing we’re strangers now.  
I won’t pretend  
It was worth knowing you,  
It’s clear now,  
We were always meant to be strangers.

Now read from bottom to top.

Anxiety wraps,  
Tight around my fragile soul,  
Like a coat too small,  
A lover who won't love back,  
A fire that won't warm my heart.

The coldest night air,  
No different from space around,  
Stars lost in the dark,  
Silent echoes fill the void,  
Where time and light drift away.

A broken soul weeps,  
Laughing, twirling in the dark,  
Beneath the cold stars,  
The bleeding heavens whisper,  
Tales of sorrow and of grace.

A teacher: The Villain and the Hero
One inspiration, one true motivation  
That one person who gives his powerful students  
The right direction
That one teacher who fights for the future of others
Who finds success in the success of others
That one person who further form a teacher
Is a human-being
He might seem like a villain to some
But he is a hero to others
He is my hero

Picked me up from the gutter
Made me strong enough to deal with
X equals A to the second power multiplied times two
He is that one teacher who taught me how to leave problems behind
And solve equation easier and faster
That one teacher who became a role model
The perfect inspiration any student needs
His way of teaching the concept  
His way of giving us the chance to be teachers our selves  
That way of making us the main importance
His way of giving us our place in his class room

Taking possession of our minds and changing them to capable ones
Making each and every one of us students who can solve anything
He expects a lot from all of us, He expects a lot from me
He gives me the challenges that I can handle
Gives me a chance to prove my self
He taught me that X is just a variable
That X is the solution
That you should not be afraid of the variable  
That the solution is hidden behind the other factors
That lesson I use in my daily life

I'm not afraid of any problem in any subject
Because he taught me how to deal with problems
And when finding X was hard,
He was there ready to answer my questions
As I walk away during lunch  
I wish him a good lunch
But what I'm actually saying is
You have done a lot for these, your students
Now give yourself a break and do something for your self.

He might just be an algebra teacher
Or a staff member at Riverside University High school
Or just Mr. Sepulveda, to some people
But for me he means more than that.
For me he is a hero
That can travel the distance
And can fix any problem with time
He is the Hero who inspires me  

He is a teacher
Whom I admire greatly
Not for being a teacher
Or being at Riverside
I admire him because he made me strong
In Algebra
In my problems
In life  
And now In my poetry

You sometimes are the villain
For giving me a B in a test
But you are the hero because for every B
I get another challenge  
And I know that with your help
I will get an A in Life.  
You are the Villain of my mind
But the Hero of my Heart
Thank-you Mr. Sepulveda
Written by: Estrella Luciano
For: A true hero
P.S. I still think I deserved an A on that one test. ;)