// feeling like i (finally) get myself

we repeat cycles because it’s familiar

sometimes growth can be slow,

but it will always be prominent

if we allow it to be

nineteen began with pain and revelation

it was the push,

the change

the transformation

that overwhelmed me

but i allowed it to wash over me

the transfiguration came through the appearance of

music,

photography,

and a new friend

all in the same day

the realization broke me down

sinking me almost to my knees,

as choked sobs and red eyes consumed my body

in a public space for everyone to witness

it occurred me to then

only nineteen days

after my nineteenth birthday

that until that moment

I have always felt alone

displaced, misunderstood,

mistreated, threatened,

forgotten, misdirected

but no longer.

the change immediately took charge

it’s been five months since my transformation,

when you say it out loud it seems like nothing at all

but this is the happiest I’ve ever been

there was time, my art became a burden

it weighed and choked me down,

killing my passion

leaving me like zombie

now I relish and flower

 

 

*The opinions and ideas expressed are solely those of the author, and may not reflect the opinions of The Bronx Brand*

Sofie Vasquez is an Ecuatoriana photographer, and writer from the Morrison Soundview part of The Bronx. As a visual artist, Sofie is influenced by the subtle beauties and the stories of the people who live in The Bronx – and is constantly inspired to fully capture that genuine essence and experience from them through her work.  The Bronx has something unbeatable, you can’t find anything else like it, not even in other boroughs or places in New York. The greatest thing about The Bronx is how in one street, in one avenue there are just pockets of different cultures, making everywhere in The Bronx so unique because it doesn’t replicate itself – it continues to create new things.

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Instagram: @bullsinthebrnx