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Our World in Words

Our World in Words

Letter #21: What They See


Hello, Lia. 

People see a girl going out to hog snacks from a sari-sari store. 
I see a girl coming back with tons for her friends and always with one for me, even if I don’t ask for it. 

People see a girl who vandalized our white walls. 
I see a girl whose art is infinite.

People see a girl interrupting her mother’s client meetings. 
I see a girl serving me iced tea or coffee in the middle of it. 

People see a girl asking for too many biscuits at the grocery. 
I see a girl who gives one to every street kid she comes across with. 

People see a girl who “talks back” (because God forbid that children have opinions and worse, state them).
I see a girl who knows that important conversations take place when honesty and truth aren’t set aside for politeness. 

People see a girl who cries easily.
I see a girl who gives her heart to everything that it hurts. 

People see a girl who is demanding and needy. 
I see a girl whose love language is time and affection; who often says, “The happiest moment of my life was when you became my Mama.”

People see someone who is impatient, hot-headed, stubborn, and sometimes borderline perfectionist.
I see those too. 
But more importantly, I see the moments in between that are driven by passion, hope, determination, and kindness. 

There is a world of difference between what others see and what we, parents, see. When the world fails to see who you are, my hope is that you take comfort in knowing that I’ve always seen who you are, from the moment you took your first breath. May that knowing serve as an affirmation that you’re always worth discovering, worth loving. May it embolden you to live your truth – boldly, openly, and kindly.

With eyes wide open, 
Mama

in Letters to Lia # Letters to Lia

About the Author

Gretchen Filart

Gretchen is a writer of poems and creative nonfiction. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Rappler, Philippines Free Press, The Daily Drunk Mag, Anti-Heroin Chic, Rejection Lit, The Alien Buddha, Maudlin House, Janus Literary, and elsewhere. She resides in the Philippines with her daughter and kooky cats and dogs.

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I thought of people who arrived and left my life as the verses shaped themselves. I whispered a little thank you and some loving kindness, that 2023 finds them in peace despite the goodbyes we exchanged.
Being on the road fills one with so many good memo Being on the road fills one with so many good memories. A kind of pilgrimage to one’s old self and the small joys that growing up and heartbreak threaten to diminish.

I close my eyes and breathe, knowing my breath is a prayer sent out to the Universe. May I regain my footing out there, I whisper. May I be healed in your embrace as always. Rediscover happiness, and self-forgiveness for having a hand in breaking my own heart.

Read the rest on my website (new post, yes! 🙂). Link in bio.
Eight years ago, Lia and I took a bus to Sisiman, Eight years ago, Lia and I took a bus to Sisiman, a small coastal town in Mariveles. Last Sunday, we returned and took our photos in the same spots. How the town has changed - so has Lia. It seemed just like yesterday. Time flies indeed. Don't blink. 
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#ThenAndNow
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I am writing letters and essays on the website aga I am writing letters and essays on the website again (link in bio). The past months I felt like I abandoned them; that I no longer know how to write anything that is not a poem. God, the tears putting it all in words. So poignant (and sappy, like always😆). Feels like a return home. I hope to return home every week. 💖
This is how nauseatingly sappy I can get😆 Writt This is how nauseatingly sappy I can get😆 Written many moons ago. 

My friends: Who do you think you are? Jesus? 🤣

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