Poetry by Rosalinda Valeri

      Rich Carstensen CC




Train to my Sister

On the way      to her,
and on a loop in my     head: 
               am i nice now?
               am i good?
I used to be so                              Angry.

All the time-spent-waiting,
relief     something worse than         
                               simply unreachable. Unimaginable.
                am i nice now?
               am i good?
Can I be                            more than I
was?      I find myself         
wishing
for Avalanches of Goodness;
                              crashing and pleasure-filled.
              am i nice now?
              am i good?

In the third - and attic - iteration of 
               my childhood bedroom: 
my sister’s baby-face     leaking-tears,
her perspective                               forever-warped. 
Her idol sullenly smoking cigarettes in their shared home.
                               She was nine.
               am i nice now?
               am i good?

Ten years have                             passed and 
she still holds me                        close 
               in her heart. 
Sadness, such a narcissistic endeavor -
              am i nice now?
              am i good?  -
the effects of which, feel both     unknown and
                               sprawling. 

I meet her at Penn,        with love in my heart
and light in our eyes.
               She tells me I am nice. 
               She tells me I am good. 
We are happy to be      together and whole
and here.




​Rosalinda Valeri is a 25 year old writer and poet. Their work has been published by The Columbia Journal, The Gandy Dancer, and Bullshit Lit. They spent the last three years finding their poetic voice while working in the vintage and restaurant industries in Philadelphia. Rosa’s next adventure and future words will be sought and found in Melbourne, Australia; check them out on Instagram and Twitter to keep up @/rososus.
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