Never Too Late
I don’t know the difference
between poetry and a diary entry.
Isn’t life just poetry in its truest form?
Its twists and turns,
its trials and tribulations,
the small things piling up
until everything has changed—
And all of a sudden,
you are 16 in a sundress,
18 in a dorm room,
21 on a bathroom floor,
27 on your way to work,
50 and still yearning for more.
The heart is resilient,
and we are as brilliant
as we let ourselves be.
It is never too late
to fall in love with your life.
The Mask
I want to be me,
but every time I take the mask off,
I wince in pain.
Teardrops drip,
drip,
dripping
in small puddles on the
floor.
The real me is soft and feminine,
loving and fierce,
shy and outgoing—all at once.
Two sides of the same coin,
twirling around in my Sunday best.
For you, I’d fight Father Time himself,
just so I’d get to love you a little longer.
Dizzy and full of stardust.
Kiss me goodnight before you turn the lights off,
so I can see you love me in the light.
Still Here
The important thing is, I’m still here.
I am breathing.
I am alive.
I am wiser, stronger,
and love more fiercely than ever before.
I am not the sum of all my darkest moments.
I am a light that continues to shine—
even when it’d be easier to burn out.
Alexondra O’Connell (she/her) is a Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and musician from Franklin Square, New York. Her poetry explores themes of personal growth, nature, spirituality, and human connection.She is currently working on her first chapbook,The Day The Angels Met Me. As a musician, she has been releasing music since 2018, blending vulnerability with genre-defying sounds. She earned a Master of Arts degree from Berklee College of Music and a Bachelor’s degree from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College. She has taught music and songwriting throughout New York and is currently the Children’s Librarian at a community library in Hillsdale, New York.
