BRENDA SERRANO

Ya no me enojo contigo.
Solo observo y pienso:
‘Me decepciono’.
Y me alejo más de ti,
porque yo ya no quiero sufrir.
Quiero ser feliz.

The office was quiet, just a sprinkle of chatter across a desk.
I sat up, eyes pulled to the screen in front of me—curious.
In the next five minutes, you’d make an appearance.
In the next five weeks, we’d be laughing.

And in the next five months, I’d be crying.

Estos son los momentos en que me río.
Nunca debí ser tan honesta.
Nunca debí entretener mis locuras.

You slipped into the frame so subtle—
a quick remark, clever and careless.
Just enough to pull me in.
Just enough to make me want to play

A game of chess.
My pieces, perfectly strategic,
thinking my queen was enough—giving her up too quickly.
The king?

Nunca valió la pena.
But still, I played.

I had begun to feel like myself again before this mess.
The thrashing waves had calmed.
I had become a slow, steady stream.
Peaceful.

Pero era tu sonrisa, venenosa,
y tu humor bien ingenioso,
me enredaste.

Butterflies rehearsed full symphonies
each time my eyes caught yours.
And I started to wonder—

¿A qué sabían tus labios?
¿De qué forma me detendrías?
But I knew.
Lo sabía.

It was always a game.
Y lo jugaste.
Y sufrí.

Me desenredo de mi desmadre.
Solo observo y respiro.
Y esta vez,

me alejo,

porque yo ya no quiero sufrir.
Porque ahora,
de verdad,
quiero ser feliz.