Anexis Matos

You were right.
I’m sorry to say you were.
It’s hard to admit
you always were,
but you were.

Surprisingly,
you understood
before I ever did.
You understood
how things were.
How things can still be.
What I refused to
for many years.

Somehow,
I couldn’t see.
It took exploration.
A story.
A character.
Someone similar to me.

Things have changed,
but not by much.
Things are better,
but not always.

My advice is not helpful,
but here it is anyway.
You deserve an apology
more than anything else.

I’m sorry.
I understand now.
I understand.
I understand.
I’m sorry.

You’re wonderful.
Intelligent.
Beautiful.
Very talented.
No,
it won’t be over,
but you’ll grow up.
You’ll learn.

Remember,
you can’t change everything,
but you can change what happens around you.
You can change who is around you.
You can change how you react.

That’s all I can give you
because that’s all I know,
but knowing you,
you’ll learn something I didn’t.