The wind was a wanderer,
forever slipping through doorways
and brushing against the backs of necks
like an old friend who never learned how to stay.
It had kissed the faces of lovers at train stations,
stolen the sighs of children chasing kites,
and carried the last breath of the dying
with the same quiet devotion.
Mountains knew its footsteps,
oceans knew its voice.
It swept through deserts with sand in its hair,
through cities wearing perfume not its own.
The wind had cleared tears
from cheeks too heavy to hold them,
and lifted prayers skyward,
though no one ever thanked it.
Was it lonely, moving from face to face,
never allowed to linger?
Perhaps.
But if it grew tired, it never said,
for motion was both its burden and its freedom.
And so it went on,
dancing through the world
with no place to rest,
no hands to anchor it,
only the promise of another face to touch,
another secret to carry,
another goodbye to soften.
Joelitza E. Arroyo Ramírez is a Puerto Rican writer, poet, and theatre artist. She recently graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in English. Her work explores themes of love, identity, and culture through poetry, plays, and storytelling. She is passionate about honoring her Puerto Rican heritage and creating art that connects people through shared stories.