It was on the 9th of August the evening that my great-grandmother passed. It was the last week of monsoon season, the favorite season all Arizonans are familiar with. The weather podcast for the day was no chance of rain, but later on, when we knew she passed, it rained, and it rained hard.
My grandma’s last breath was taken as the heavens were ready to pour out for her. Her time came as the rain hit the roof and hissed as it hit the window. It was raining sideways, straight down, and shot straight back up as my hands were buried in my face. The skies even performed a final goodbye when purple finally shown, the rarest color to see in a rainbow.
As we waited for the funeral services to come and take her away, the house was silent, then loud and then silent, just as the rain was, coming and going. The house had lungs, breathing in life, and exhaling death. I just watched as the raindrops on the window raced down, sliding side-by-side on their way to the window seal.
Angelica Mejia
What is the significance of this work to you?
The poem, “The Grey Area” is about my childhood and how I learned to adapt to the challenges that not only me but my siblings faced. My mom’s journey of her recovery from cancer was very much the grey area of our lives, I just chose to document it so I was able to learn and adapt from that part of my life. My other poem, “Remember Me," was written in order for me to process life and death. I had taken care of my great-grandmother for a little over a month before she had passed and I am eternally grateful for that opportunity because it was a pivotal moment of my life and it is what made me decide to become a writer. “The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say but what we are unable to say.” - Anaȉs Nin.
What is the significance of the form you chose for this work?
Vignettes are captivating, they allow your audience to suddenly become a fly on the wall on whatever is the focus of your piece and that’s beautiful!
What was your process for creating this work?
The writing process for my two pieces was to really reflect on my past and draw from it. The two poems are drawn from so many different emotions, good and bad. I write in a way to heal the current me and the future me who will look and reflect back on memories from my childhood.
Angelica Mejia is a first-generation student and an Arizona native. Working as a writing tutor at Pima Community College, she discovered her love for writing and education. She is pursuing a degree in Mild-Moderate Disabilities at the University of Arizona to become a special education teacher. Out of the classroom, she enjoys hiking, horticulture, and cooking. Instagram handle @spooky1__
