Sanando entre dos mundos/renacimento

Abstract

Greetings, My name is Walter Aaron Gramajo & I want to take a moment and courageously &
gracefully express my gratitude with not only the person who will be receiving reading my
poetry, this introduction of my story, the opening of my self disclosure and of my heart, but
furthermore to all the people who will have the opportunity to get to know me better. My story is
one of much pain and suffering, I can only ask for the reader to not only take into consideration
that what I am about to share/disclose is very personal information, I do not seek any sympathy,
but I ask for the reader to rather instead be able to empathize with my story. But I will start by
saying that the only true way of understanding is by understanding the complexities of post
traumatic stress disorders along with adverse childhood experiences of not only mine but of our
youth and anyone else who will someday go through a similar story to this. I strongly believe
that only then can one begin to understand the severity of how great of importance it is that we
continue to provide funding for programs catered to our youth and address the mental health
crisis of our lower income communities. My overall life & educational experience I have come to
profoundly & insightfully understand why I turned out the way I did & why I went down a path
that unfortunately would be my demise.

I was that child growing up in a socially disorganized neighborhood, where the gangs of
that neighborhood were something that was not easy to ignore, where drugs were easy to find
under any street light. Yes I could have been that statistic even further being raised by a single
mother who worked so hard to keep a roof over my head. Yes, you were right, I did grow up with
no father figure by my side and despite it sparking an outcry embedded deeply within me, I was
raised to not show that emotion, to ignore it, to put it aside. That is all due to this role we play, a
character that we create to mask our feelings, knowing damn well that inside we do have these
issues that stick with us throughout our adulthood. I know! Because I am a product of it, I know
that many of our youth will continue to go down through these paths of self hate and destruction
that of which continues to flourish throughout our communities. Unfortunately, it is in fact an
embedded, internalized sub-culture of “machismo” or what I describe as toxic/hypermasculinity
that continues to be the propellant of our own personal identity and self hatred.

Walter Gramajo

Walter is a Bilingual community/cultural/student advocate seeking to empower individuals in vulnerable populations through academia & become an inspiring role model for success through advocacy while maintaining integrity. He intends to motivate at-promise youth through vicarious experience by creating a safe space to promote self-efficacy. Walter is also a Behavioral Therapist with three years of experience working with children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities in different capacities in a variety of settings.

One thing I have learned through my art of poetry is that I am deviant from structure, deviant from the rules that society abides by, deviant from what is expected from a poetic ghetto scholar, and deviant from all that was created to constrain me and break me!

I have left this world…. only to return to be the true, authentic me, the better version of myself I never thought I could be.

And now!

Now I am free. Free to do as I please.

Free like the quetzal flying over me, flying through the jungles of the Tikal - I am free.

Free like the sacred Colibri - a glimpse into paradise.

Once one has seen the powers of our ance-stars, those that came before you and me. Blessed is he who truly understands the wisdom flow carried within our genes.

Nahuales, santeros, diableros, shamanes, haciendo,
todo lo que la tierra de este mundo nos da cada 4 estaciones, las 4 direcciones y los 4 vientos.

Temazcales, rituales, sanando el alma por dentro, se dueña de mi espíritu y también de mis pensamientos, mientras al mismo tiempo…

Será que mi alma se va perdiendo? …
O se va encontrando?
​
Eso mi amigo, es el destino! De los que no han llegado, al punto de estar entre los dos lados, vivo, pero a la misma vez,

Muerto!

Mi cuerpo en el suelo, y mis ojos abiertos…

Silencio…. Silencio….

Silencio….

La voz del mas alla… Levantate!!!

Y con un suspiro que entra por mi alma, me despierto,
Y de nuevo, vuelvo, a este mundo.