For Perrez

Background: Perrez is a single mom with a darling little baby. She had gone through heartbreak but is a woman who does not give up.

For Perrez

How do you do it?

The love of your life, in whom you trusted
Shattering not just your loyal heart,
But pivoting the journey envisioned  
Causing circles of why and wherefore
Leaving you fractured…

And leaving you the new love of your life
Unexpected yet adored
With the softest of curls, the strongest of names
A symbol of peace, the first of his line - Zion.

This is how you do it,
How you picked yourself up and dusted yourself off:

With a patched-up, rhythmic heart
A mind renewed, a physique strengthened
And a verve, a pep in your step.

“Giving up” is erased from the lexicon of your life.

You toil and study, labour and learn,
All the while tending to the little Starling,
Foregoing even your quiet yearnings.

May you bask in the light of love,
Discover your own magnificence,
And cry out jubilantly, “By God, I DID IT!”

~Adelynne Ong, Mar 2025