Krystalina Padilla
Image by Jose Santiago on Unsplash
Krystalina Padilla is currently toward a MFA at St. Joseph’s College and hosts a writing workshop at Bowery Poetry Club in New York City. She was born and raised in the Bronx, NY and has been teaching elementary education for five years. She is currently working on a short story collection.
Puerto Rico
Each sunset swallows you whole,
until you are reborn again.
Bayamon streets plateau my being and
thrust me
into the air with my vices aflame.
The morning sky is ocean deep, and
reminds me of all that is forsaken—
the hibiscus tree, grounded and reaching
to grab my hand; the coqui and their lullabies
when my eyes feel the weight of the day.
The walls embrace me the same way my grandmother does,
with her strong hands that wither
the leaves of its trees.
In a clothesline of wet clothes,
a dry shirt finds freedom in the
wind.
©2021 West Trade Review
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