kaylie barreda

A Spanish Saying

When I was young and fell on my knee 
My mother hugged and whispered to me 

Sana sana colita de rana 
Si no sanas hoy 
Sanarás mañana 

But now that I’m older 
And the scabs left scars 
I say the words as they are 

Heal, heal, little frog’s tail 
If you don’t heal today 
You’ll heal tomorrow.

Patience is a Virtue

My mother warned me that God is a comedian
and I should be careful with what I pray for.
She said she once begged for patience
and now she has a house that won’t stay clean
and two daughters who choose to live in its filth. 

It’s a shame she told me when it was too late,
now that I’ve gone and sold my soul for some petty cash.
But God still wanted that laugh so He told me to earn it—penny by penny. 

He gave me a pen and some paper
and told me to write my little heart out,
or maybe just until my fingers started to bleed. 

Next time I’ll listen to my mother
and I’ll pray for something I want instead of something I need.