Goodbye 2024

 Goodbye, 2024

Goodbye, 2024, a year of fire and loss,

From sandy shores to silent nights, I’ve borne the heavy cost.

I started in Zipolite, where the sun burned fierce and bright,

But survival weighed too heavy, the days a constant fight.

A single mural painted, Frida’s gaze a tender art,

Brushstrokes spoke of courage drawn from a weary heart.

But then the call, a shattering blow, my child’s unspoken pain,

A grief so raw, so devastating, it broke me once again.

I came back to their silence, the void a mother fears,

Mother’s Day a hollow ache, a nightmare etched in tears.

Finally, a whisper: they survive, though shadows cloud their light,

And I hold on for those who’ve lost their children to the night.

No work, no home, just endless forms, a thousand resumes tossed,

Scraped and sorted by machines, my worth a line item lost.

Age, gender, education—barriers none will dare to say,

As the dream of dignity crumbles in this broken land today.

A nurse on the bus, her story a mirror to mine,

Six grandchildren, two kids, but no job—where is the line?

For women my age, the road is steep, the way so dark and bare,

Yet we march on, though hope grows thin, held aloft by prayer.

So, goodbye, 2024, I leave you with a plea,

May the coming year hold light for those still yearning to be free.

Let us pray for women, for mothers, for all who’ve been denied,

That dignity and justice will no longer be cast aside.

Goodbye🎆🥳, 2024, take with you the grief and despair,

And let 2025 bring renewal, love, and care.