Christina Chavez—Poetry

In the woods

she grew
taller than the majestic cocoa sequoias
that bore emeralds for leaves
and glistened the most brilliant of hues

dazzling in beams of sunshine
that danced
leaving trails of speckled amber
and shaded gold

nourished in gardens she dreamt up
beside the silken pedaled lilacs
and velvet blue junipers

hydrated by dove-white gardenias
and honeysuckle droplets
born of morning dew

Grounded.
from ankle to knee
Planted.
from root to tree

here–She discovered
nature nurtured her

a MuXxer standing–fortified
Granted
healing medicin(a)

bound to explore sacred soils
of Indigenous terrain

as the forest cycled
she too transformed—evolving

there she stood in awe;
of wilderness prayers answered

left in wonder to marvel
her spirit
balanced—it renewed.

Christina Chavez (-cc) is an activist, educator, and empowering poet(a) based out of Los Angeles. A mujer (woman) transfixed by the power of poesia (poetry) to mend the heart, examine the human condition, and resurrect the soul. She has published in Bunch magazine, was a resident writer for Real Brown Girls online, and is currently working on an anthology of her poetry. Her live art has been shared at Los Angeles City Hall: Latinas in HollyWood, Viva la Muxer, Mills College and the University of Southern California (with Las Lunas Locas writing collective), and other special community spaces. Connect with her work on instagram @cc.poesia.