Patty Tacuri

4 women at 40 

At 40, my abuela had given birth

 to her 11th child, had mourned

2 children that were never born, 

 survived my grandfather's many

infidelities, and sent off her oldest

daughter to a foreign land

People called her Lola

At 40, my mami worked 2 jobs, 

raised 3 children in a strange country, 

had mourned one child 

 survived my dad’s infidelity

and still managed to put on a cloak 

of strength as she navigated a world 

that was prejudiced against her 

because of her accent and her caramel skin

They called her Techi

At 40, my sister was marrying her true king

after surviving a divorce that almost broke her,

she worked 2 jobs and was raising 3 children

she still managed to get up every morning 

and show up for herself and everyone else

no matter what.

They called her Maria.

At 4O, I work 2 jobs and am raising my 3 sons  

while still living with their father

after the expiration date of our love

with a divorce on the horizon

I fell into a shame spiral for a while

but came back stronger

and for the first time, I  feel enough

They call me Patty