30 Days of Me Challenge - Day 08

Day 08 - Short term goals for this month and why...

(1)

Finish at least ONE spoken word track (almost done with this goal)

(2)

Write (with a pen) at least 4 poems this month (need to write 2 more)

(3)

Send out two copies of my resume to two different positions I want

(4)

Ace my mid-terms (so far so good!)

(5)

Get my sleeping schedule back to normal so I can join civilization again

The Safety of Possibilities

It's safe to breathe
the toxins of my
city; its a pretty
city where the streets
re-play the melody of
our bodies folding into
torn and worn sheets

I am saying this
is safe; Allow these
fumes to play in
your chest for hours
as the waves of
my hair come crashing
down onto your lips
and into your hands
I am telling you...

You are the only
You already did something
to me; You did
something so beautiful that
my bones want to
collapse upon themselves and
dissolve into sweet honey
I want to simply
dip my finger into
the essence of what
this love could be

Anxious to taste it
If it's only possible.

30 Days of Me Challenge - Day 07

Day 07 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you...

My Puerto Rican heritage has had the biggest impact on me...

Everything about the Puerto Rican culture, from the music (salsa, merengue, bomba y plena), the food (arroz con gandules, pasteles, monfongo), the my own family and the pride we share, are a huge part of my identity. Although I was not born nor raised on the island of Puerto Rico, I cherish the fact that I was not deprived of the culture. I was still brought up with the same family-oriented values that my grandparents brought with them back in 1962 when they came to the United States.

Today in Philadelphia we are celebrating the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Puertorriqueños across the city will gather out in the streets, sing, dance, and wave their flags in pride. I will be celebrating silently as I do every day, with the same passion and pride. 

30 Days of Me Challenge - Day 06

Day 06 - Favorite super-hero and why...

The Powerpuff Girls

My favorite super-heroines are the Powerpuff Girls. One, because I used to watch the cartoon back in the day (my two best friends and I nicknamed each other after them - I was Bubbles, and yes, we followed the whole "girl power" movement), and two, because they simply kick ass. Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles (left to right) from the outside look like sweet, innocent, harmless, doe-eyed little girls. But...deep down inside they are hell-raising, fighting machines with super powers! I just love the combination of "sugar, spice, and everything nice", power and "fighting crime and the forces of evil". These girls rock!

30 Days of Me Challenge - Day 05

Day 05 - A picture of somewhere you’ve been to...

Back in November of 2006, I had the opportunity to attend a youth organizing conference in California. Although the trip was work related, to me it almost didn't feel like work being that I was able to meet and network with a bunch of other folks who were doing the same type of work I was doing at the time, which was youth/community organizing.

Anyways, it was the first time I had ever travel by plane alone, and I was so excited to be visiting California for the first time that I listened to the song "California" by Phantom Planet a gazillion times on my mp3 player on the way there (I'm a dork, I know). So I finally arrive at San Jose Airport, meet up with some awesome people, and we drive over to the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA. This place is gorgeous and so peaceful! The beach was literally just a short walk across the road from the conference grounds. I will never forget the days I spent there. Although we didn't get to enjoy a lot of the activities the center had to offer because we were in workshops most of the time, we did sneak in a good amount of time to explore the grounds and bask in the beauty of the Pacific Ocean. My only regret is that while my fellow conference goers were jumping in the ocean and wetting their feet, I just stood on the sand watching them. It was too cold. However, now I regret it and I promise myself that the next time I find myself in Cali, I will wet my feet in the Pacific Ocean. I just have to.

30 Days of Me Challenge - Day 04

Day 04 - A habit that you wish you didn’t have...

Hi, my name is NV and I am the queen of last minute

e v e r y t h i n g.

Procrastination...

There isn't much I can really say about this awful habit except that I know I am not alone in this battle, and I find comfort in knowing that.

What can I say...I work well under pressure.

30 Days of Me Challenge - Day 03

Day 03 - A picture of you and your friends

I don't have just one picture with all of my friends in it so I just posted a few pictures of me and my people...

x

Just thought you should know - A Young Poet's Haiku

A couple weeks ago, a fellow poet, Rebeca, sent me the most inspiring message on Facebook. She told me a funny story of how her 9 year old daughter, Kassandra, discovered a copy of my book, Northside Cries  Lullabies, and how she read a haiku, loved it, and felt inspired to write her own. She ended the message with this: "Just thought you should know. You inspire."

How cool is that! I was completely humbled by her story. Of course I wanted to read the haikus she scribbled down, so I asked my friend and her daughter if she wouldn't mind sharing them with me. She did, and I fell in love with them so much that I wanted to feature them on here and share them with all of you. Please read...

Nintendo

dark pink and pretty,

I heart you.

Crazy man

green glasses and short

I'm laughing.

Jellybeans rolling

down, around and inside small

dark brown fourth grade hands.

Jump, jump high

the moons a baseball

for the night.

Each haiku is a colorful and innocent look into the perspective of a 9 year old. Just perfection. 

Much love to Rebeca and Kassandra for being awesome and for allowing me to share her growing, yet beautiful poetic voice.

Reading her poems actually inspired me start a project with my own students. Now the inspiration has come full circle. Its a beautiful thing when we are able to inspired and then become inspired, isn't it?

30 Days of Me Challenge - Day 02

Day 02 - The meaning behind your Blog name

The name of my blog is a play on the title of the show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I'm from the northside of Philadelphia, and while I was looking for a name for my blog, the title of the show hit me. I played around with it, and It's Always Sunny in Northside stuck. I changed it to Northside because I wanted the the name to go with my most recent collection of poetry, Northside Cries & Lullabies.

The true meaning behind the name is that this blog is a place for enlightenment, positivity, expression, and creativity. Like my description says: a little bit of this, a little bit of that, a sprinkle of rain, but mostly sunshine.

30 Days of Me Challenge - Day 01

Day 01 - A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself...

This photo was taken over Labor Day weekend.

15 Interesting Facts About Me

1. I bake and decorate cupcakes to relieve stress. Even when I'm stress-free, I like to bake goodies. My peeps love me because of this.
2. My current obsession is going to YouTube and watching make-up and hair tutorials. I don't know why, but I just find it all so fascinating.
3. I CANNOT stand the sound of someone cracking their toes! 
4. When I was little, my mother wouldn't play any sad or slow music in my presence, only upbeat music because I would burst into tears. I was a sentimental kid. Still am.
5. I still remember specific details about my first day of Kindergarten. Mostly I remember the scents. I remember the way my classroom smelled - like cookies and juice. I remember the brand new smell of my Strawberry Shortcake bag.
6. Speaking of smells, I love the the smell of freshly cut grass. Where I live, I don't get to smell it that often so its always nice when I do.
7. I had my first kiss (with tongue) at the tender age of thirteen.
8. I'm a sucker for a guy with glasses (first kiss in #7 wore glasses...sigh).
9. I dated an eighteen year old guy when I was eleven. The relationship lasted about two days. My mom was not having it.
10. I was a huge teeny bopper back in the day. Backstreet Boys were my addiction, and Nick Carter was my baby daddy-to-be. My locker in high school was a shrine to his awesomeness.
11. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time just so I could watch my favorite Nickelodeon TV shows such as Are You Afraid of the Dark, Doug, Pete & Pete, Rocko's Modern Life, Clarissa Explains It All, Ren & Stimpy, Hey Dude, and others.
12. My lucky number is 12 ;)
13. I sing ALL day long. In the shower. To myself. In my head. All day, everyday.
14. I have three tattoos (all butterflies) and I regret getting them only because now I want more! They truly are addictive. I'm planning on getting just one more and then I'm done. Promise.
15. I am almost certain that (when the time comes) my first child is going to be a girl. I've had a few visions and dreams that help support my conviction. I already know her name because it came to me in a dream.

It's all about NV!

Because I need to show daily love to my blog, and because I just looove me some me, I am doing the 30 Days of Me Challenge.

And it goes like this:

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 03- A picture of you and your friends
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Your favorite song.

This should be fun :)
x

Needing.

There are times when we are faced with guilt. I've been feeling guilty lately. I feel guilty for the things I need. I feel guilty for the things I want. Even if what I want is something I need, the way a flower needs water and love to bloom and prosper. Why do I feel guilty for this? This is a necessity. Although, I feel more guilt for needing than I do for wanting. Want is something that can change. I could want you today, and have no desire for you tomorrow. Need is different. Need is something that sticks to our bones. Need is getting physically weak when you do not get what you need. Need is waking up in the middle of the night because the poem in my belly wants to play.

Where Were You?

I was a senior in high school on Tuesday September 11, 2001...

I had just left my second period class, and making my way over to my locker so I could switch books for my next class when I overheard some kid in the hallway talking to another student about a plane that hit one of those tall buildings in New York City. I just kept it moving, and walked into my Trigonometry class.

The teacher started the lesson. It was a regular day.

About a half hour into class time, the principal's voice comes on the loud speaker. He instructs all of the teachers to stop what they are doing, and turn on the TVs in their classrooms. One of my classmates got up and walked over to the TV, stood on a chair, turned it on and a clip of the second plane hitting the south tower was being played. As we were watching the plane hit and the footage of the two smoking towers, the principal said something that I just knew at that moment I would never forget for the rest of my life. He said: Ladies and Gentlemen, you are watching history in the making right now - this is your generation's Pearl Harbor. He said this is a tragic, and unfortunate moment in time that our country will remember for many years. We all just watched in disbelief as reports of the Pentagon came in, and images of the planes hitting the first tower played over and over again. It was like a movie. Unreal. Not too long after that, the first tower collaspsed, and that's when I could feel the reality of it all finally hitting us. As the gray clouds of debris billowed in the sky, I remembered a recent class trip to New York back in May of that year. I remembered passing by the two towers in our tour bus and one of my classmates saying, "Look! The Twin Towers!" I remember looking over at the buildings and feeling unimpressed by them. If only I had known then what I know now.

We were let out early from school that day. Teachers kept telling us to go home and be with our families. I went to a large high school - about 2,000 students. We were all let out at the same time, and they told us to walk home in groups - don't walk alone. The walk home was chaotic! There was so much traffic and so many people out in the streets trying to pick up their kids from school, and rushing to get home. Philly is between NYC and Washington D.C., so paranoia and fear was really high that crazy morning.

When I got home, I turned on the TV in the living room and watched all of the news reports. The second tower had already fallen. I learned about the terrorist, the hijacked planes. I watched footage of people jumping/falling from the towers, the giant crater in Shanksville, PA where Flight 93 went down, the recordings of 9-1-1 calls, and testimonies of the rescue workers and those who were there when the planes hit in NYC and D.C.. I cried when I saw all the people who were desperately looking for lost family members and friends. I was glued to the news and forming questions in my head. How could this happen? Why did it happen? I kept replaying my principals words over and over again in my head....history in the making.

I will never forget the way that entire day unfolded for me. It was a tragic day and today, on the 9th anniversary of the attacks, I pray that we all find the peace and healing we search for everyday since that morning in September. Never forget.

Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001?

Who said flowers don't grow in the hood

He snuck into her room again
Sat down next to her
Oil-stained fingers brushing
Up her thigh

She is 15 and has dreams of becoming a writer
The next Maya
With the power of Sonia, Cherrie, and Audre
She always found it funny
and amazing
how screams -
these Northside cries -
can echo on paper
shifting mountains
somewhere,
Yet they fall so silently on ears,
without moving a single grain
still
quiet and waiting.

With both hands
He holds her face
He holds it delicately
Soft and thunderously
He whispers:
“Be easy
Take your time
Like those fancy poems you be writing
Take your time,
mi rosita mas bella”.