Mi grandma knits her grief
In front of the window
she looks out at the world
and tells me stories
she looks out at the world
from her needles

My grandma weaves an entire world for me

My grandmother endured lashes
beatings
she never sought

I don’t know if she’ll ever heal

Mi grandmother swallowed half of the pain
and she mixed the other part
among soup
pots
pans
and days

With that grief
she fed
my mother and my aunts

My grandma built an invincible ship
To sail across the storms

She held on tightly to a rudder
that was often on the brink
of finishing her off

My grandma sent her daughters
out of that ship

She weaved new stories
without knowing

I, like a child
I see her
There is love in her eyes
There was always love

So much care
of a mother
and grandmother

A story that tells
of my freedom.

Colombian born and San Francisco Bay Area based Vanessa Torres is a poet, anthropologist, literary journalist and human rights activist.