I stop for a second
and I delight in the flashes
of my aspirations, but then
day by day, the demanding society
chains me, enslaves me,
to allow me to live in it.

Then, my body demands rest,
but it knows that it cannot, and
it accompanies me.
But at that moment, my brain
makes everything change.
I realize that I am not a machine!

I am a human being
who needs a second for myself.
For that reason,
I stop for a second, and
I delight in the flashes
of my aspirations
that keep me alive, as I
persevere to reach them.

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Dalila Lama was born in Lima, Peru. She is 53 years old and immigrated to the United States in 2006. At the Queens Library’s Elmhurst Adult Learning Center, her writing teacher is James McMenamin, and the center manager is Michelle Johnston. Dalila Lama writes, “I am very enthusiastic about writing.”