Relief

By Jonathan Gonzalez | 06/15/2022

When you reach the time
when that light turns on,
when you believe the self-reflection,
what it tells you, what you see,
I hope you find the help you need.

We are not put here with the
wherewithal to heal,
or express how we feel.

One generation can’t teach another
when they weren’t taught to deal
with the single hardest thing there is to do:
confront our trauma 
before it spreads from me to you.

There is no guide
to explain
this cyclical pain.
And standing up to it can feel 
like standing in front of a train
moving at full speed,
hoping that you’ll be 
the switch track you need.

But please…
Know that to not know 
is completely okay,
as long as you seek the answers
to the questions that keep you at bay,
on the edge of pride and peace,
I hope you finally can begin to find relief.

For Today

By Jonathan Gonzalez | 06/14/2022

You can look ahead
and reflect on before
while keeping your feet planted
firmly on the floor.

The present is a gift
from the past.
A chance to enjoy
what you’ve worked towards
and a chance to 
make change everlast.

My Little Luna

By Jonathan Gonzalez | 06/05/2022

I see a golden moon tonight,
large in the distance,
shining in the dark.

I think about you,
my baby girl,
who I bond with
in the dark.

How perfect we named you
about my favorite part
of a galaxy so big
I can’t comprehend.

The moon’s glow
must reflect
all the sunshine you send.

Compassion

By Jonathan Gonzalez | 05/27/2022

We can’t mourn
before we’re asked 
to mourn again.
We can’t grieve before
we have to believe
it’s happened
again.

We can’t catch our breaths
before the deaths 
accumulate.
It’s far too late.
Far too late.

And all the while
some carry on and smile
in some acceptance
of the norm.
We can’t live our
lives worrying,
I’m told.

But when we will grasp
that our inability 
for empathy
holds us back
from being 
the very kind of people
our children lack.

Compassion is the compass
that will guide us 
to a place not far
if we’re brave enough to 
hold compassion
behind our teeth
and in our hearts.

Poverty’s A Choice

By Jonathan Gonzalez | 05/27/2022

Poverty’s a choice

our world makes it

possible and cyclical,

I can’t take it

every time I see a 

crime committed

I think, why are we surprised?

It’s us who did it.

Systematically 

we choose our future

and then we patch it up

only with sutures

and wonder why

the wounds still open up

instead of wondering

how we can stop

the bleeding,

the hunger,

the abuse.

Too many people

with the mindset

“there’s no use.”

Just maybe if we

focused on prevention,

if the people who need help

got our attention,

collectively we’d build

the place we need, 

but selectively 

we can’t seem to agree

on what that looks like, 

on what we look like, 

too much money spent

to make us disagree.

Those who spend it

would rather us not see

all the things they try to hide,

all of the greed.

These are fights

they design

with the intention

to blind.

And we fall victim

to the crime 

every time.

Poverty’s a choice,

why do we make it

possible and cyclical,

I can’t take it

every time I see a 

crime committed

I think, why are we surprised?

It’s us who did it.

21 Beds

By Jonathan Gonzalez | 05/25/2022

Too many beds suddenly empty tonight.
Those kids too young to comprehend
the evil of one man,
and our willingness to arm him.

The harm lives on 
with moms and dads
whose hearts cannot handle
the holes they are now scarred with.

Uvalde

By Jonathan Gonzalez | 05/25/2022

Look them in the eye 
and ask them why.
Look them in the eye 
and ask them why.

Those who see
children shot dead
and choose the status quo
instead.

I’m sure that they’ll pretend
thoughts and prayers can make amends,
as people argue relentlessly
over and over again.

But talking is a sin
because what we need is a cure.
And one may never be found
because a cure must be searched for.

Look them in the eye
and ask them why.
Look them in the eye
and ask them why.