*

I love you

without knowing how

or when or where,

*

I love you directly,

without problems

or pride:

*

I love you like that

because I don’t know

how to love otherwise.

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*

Mercy Pacheco emigrated from Lima, Peru, in April 2004 in search of a better life. A mother of three, she maintains a positive outlook and aspires to become a medical assistant. Her Creative Writing class is preparing her for college. She credits her teacher, Jovito de la Paz, with encouraging her to be her best creative self and the Elmhurst Adult Learning Center for providing her a gateway to achieving greatness.