Our final poem for #nationalpoetrymonth is an excerpt from our anthology Parenting with PTSD, written by Jodie Ortega
Thank You
Just like every cliche
Loving you was instant and true
But I quickly realized I had to practice
Self love in order to properly love you
15th of December was an
Arrival for the
Both of us
Mother and son
My greatest work is on my
Personal growth
So my damages can become undone
You see
My childhood was an incomplete sentence
Thank you for sharpening my Steadler
And this second lease on life
Has given me the chance to rewrite me
As both your mother and father
You’re my Magnum Opus
My Grand Marshall
My finest Nobel Peace Prize
You’re my Chicago Bulls Game 6
In ’93, Paxson with the deny
And if your potential could be measured
In wins and losses
Imma call you the next “Great One”
And if your spirit could be matched in Excitement
You’re my World Series when
Joe Carter hit that home run
There’s no mic loud enough
No stage wide enough
Not even Sherlock’s got a clue
That matches the amount of
Love and Pride
I have growing on the daily for you
‘Coz you’re my mirror
Revealing to me that with men
I’ve still got an intimacy issue
But I’m healing though
Your laughter my best medicine
Your hugs and kisses
Like tissue
And one day soon
I’m gonna have to explain the
Absence of your “father”
No parenting book can prepare me
For my most difficult moment ever
I’m gonna have to say
“Baby, if we stayed, Mama’s body wouldn’t recover.”
“And that you’ll eventually end up an orphan having to bury your own mother.”
I pray when that day comes
I hope you know I place you above no other
You’re my Little Drummer Boy
You singlehandedly changed my life for the better
Jodie Ortega Bio
Jodie Ortega is a Hip Hop dancer/pageant talent winner turned Advocate, spoken word artist and public speaker (take that, PTSD!). With a Diploma in Broadcast Performing Arts, Jodie has transformed her experiences with sexual violence into a resistance, advocating for survivors and championing for their healing journeys. She utilizes the Arts, primarily Hip Hop, and applies it to the power and simplicity of dialogue to create conversations that lead to awareness about sexual violence. Jodie’s work has not gone unnoticed, having delivered a TEDx talk and has caught the attention of Vancouver Rape Relief and Womens Shelter and the Greater L.A Chapter of the US National Committee for UN Women. Although she resides in Vancouver, her yoga pants have been everywhere except for, well, yoga.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dontrunbabygirl
Jodie’s TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2xYSYLPuy4
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