No matter the current
Stay firm on your boat
They’ll lose you
Not all of you
The tree of life you are
Not the roots you grounded
The soft tug of you
Your sweetness, your care
You’ll still make the coffee
You’ll still open the door
But your tongue won’t be mistaken
With the matt for shoe cleaning
Your mind will no longer be
A forgotten suggestion or missed call
The control your triggers had
Are a commitment away now
They can’t hurt you if you don’t let them
Pray at your altar and take care of your temple
Come back to your branches
Hop like the frog who knew
They would make it home, eventually
Juan Alejandro Borge Osorio (call him Ale) is a student at Columbia University studying Creative Writing and Ethnicity & Race Studies. He was born in Barranquilla, Colombia and grew up in the state of Georgia, making both his home. He enjoys reading and writing poetry. His love for literature and poetics began as early as he can remember with Juan Luis Guerra or a good vallenato always playing at his grandfather’s house. Music and poetry have always been one of his love languages and a way to connect with his family and friends, especially his mother. He has been published in The Columbia Review, Prudence Dispatch, IŌ Literary Journal, Oddball Magazine, Indelible, Levitate and Roots.