“Invisible Threads: Poems of Love, Life, and Destiny”

Katherine Pérez Pérez

Tektime Publishing

2025

“Invisible Threads: Poems of Love, Life, and Destiny”

Written by Katherine Pérez Pérez

1st edition: January 2025

© Katherine Pérez Pérez, 2025

© Tektime Publishing, 2025

All rights reserved

Translated by Maria Burnett

Distributed by Tektime

https://www.traduzionelibri.it

Copyright © [2025] Katherine Pérez Pérez

All rights reserved.

This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States (U.S. Copyright Act, Title 17 of the United States Code).

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other method—without the prior written permission of the author. Any unauthorized use constitutes a violation of the author’s rights and may result in civil and criminal penalties.

To request permissions or specific uses of this work, please contact the following email address: Kathe3023@gmail.com.

Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Registration number: TXu 2-506-978.

Table of Contents

Foreword

“Thespesia Grandiflora”

“The Golden Cage”

“Martorell’s Muse”

“Beloved Mother”

“You Do Not Belong to Me”

“The Stranger”

“Asperger”

“The Archangels”

“Valentina”

“The Lover”

“Step Down from the Ark”

“I am”

“Poetic Chant at the Border”

“Promise of Love”

“Rise, my beloved”

“My Beloved”

“The Psychopath”

"Objection"

“Pritzker”

“Destiny”

“I love you”

“You taught me to love myself”

“Reincarnation”

“Friends”

“The Psychologist”

“Orlando”

“The Brothers”

“Aunt"

“Illinois”

“Simply María”

“The Invisible Threads of Life”

Foreword

We frequently assume that the events we experience in life occur purely by chance. However, as time passes, we come to understand that every experience—whether chosen or imposed—serves a purpose that shapes our path.

This collection of poems reflects events of my own life, as well as those I have learned about through others—moments that have deeply influenced my journey and sense of self. I believe invisible threads connect us, drawing souls together in the same place and time for reasons we simply cannot understand. These interconnected threads, intricately shaped by fate, bind our narratives in ways that may not be readily apparent, yet over time their significance reveals itself, ultimately enriching our understanding and establishing a lasting presence in our hearts.

Consequently, each experience contributes to personal growth and development, resulting in permanent changes that shape individuals into someone distinct from their former selves.

Dedicated to God, who has blessed me throughout my life; to my parents, Orlando Pérez and María Pérez, whose love has been infinite; to my beloved son, Edgardo, who taught me to be a mother; and to Juan Moisés, whose love inspired me to become a poet.

To my siblings Orlando, Javier, and Lilibeth; to my uncles and aunts, Francisco, Felicidad, Pucho, and Minerva; to each of my cousins, to Ruth Miriam, and to all the people I have had the privilege of meeting throughout my life, whose presence and teachings have helped shape the person I am today.

“Thespesia Grandiflora”

You are born from the evergreen tree

that dwells in the beautiful, sleepy rainforests

Daughters of the earth, who blossom within them

From your petals springs the passion that lights  the azure sky

The passion Sotomayor feels for Guanina, the one who never sleeps

Maga flower, passion that grows

Your furrows are deep, in fertile ever-giving soil

Thespesia, remind your daughters where they come from

Daughters of the moon, who awaken in silence

Surges of passion that cry out and strike

Maga flower, your daughters sprout anew within you

They remind us of the call of those who do not die

Julia de Burgos shines within you

    Maga flower, in the humid forests your bark is born gleaming,

Remind your daughters that they are living warriors

Maga flower, call them with your patient fragrance

With the red that screams through clenched teeth,

   Remind them of who they are, your daughters who dance and ignite

Land of the Amazons, resilient Puerto Ricans

Daughters of God, who bloom at dawn in the Maga flower

“Maga Flower” is dedicated to the Puerto Rican woman who, with her strength and sacrifice, continually struggles to ensure the well-being of her children and family.  To each of those women who, from different corners of the world, bring to light their beauty and their relentless commitment to striving for the welfare of their loved ones.  I especially dedicate this to my friend and educator Xiomara Piñero Negrón, who believes in our island’s freedom. 

“Maga Flower” is dedicated to the Puerto Rican woman who, with her strength and sacrifice, continually struggles to ensure the well-being of her children and family.  To each of those women who, from different corners of the world, bring to light their beauty and their relentless commitment to striving for the welfare of their loved ones.  I especially dedicate this to my friend and educator Xiomara Piñero Negrón, who believes in our island’s freedom. 

“The Golden Cage”

Golden cage, shattered dreams of a confined sentence

Love in darkness dwelling throughout my home

Everyone admires him; he is what many desire

Divine face, tormentor of my days of sorrow

Arrogant, hostile, and relentlessly abusive.

Your children are unimportant in your life of opulence

I am your wife; I am worth more than all of them

You are an abuser, a sick man without consequences

I pray to God to free me from this misery

No amount of money can buy back who I was

The golden cage, my eternal prison

Hateful whips toward the Puerto Rican woman who gives birth

Children who cry, held captive by a father consumed by selfishness

The burden is heavier on those who sacrifice their loved ones for pride

I am the spouse of a man whose heart is imprisoned by growth and good fortune

A penance that destroys the one who was seduced by wealth

Dedicated to all women who have suffered gender-based violence at the hands of their husbands, with deep gratitude and love, especially to Lilibeth and Glorimar.

Published in the anthology Vivas las queremos – Voces del mundo contra el feminicidio 2023.

“The Golden Cage” is a poem devoted to women who, although situated within marriages characterized by opulence and apparent comfort, endure emotional deprivation marked by the absence of respect and genuine affection. It serves as a representation of affluent women whose spouses project an immaculate public persona, while within the private sphere of the home, patterns of abuse, infidelity, and manipulation persist.

This “golden cage” symbolizes the emotional—and in many cases, physical—imprisonment endured by abused women, which reminds us that wealth does not guarantee happiness when freedom and dignity are lost.

“Martorell’s Muse”

Heavenly hands illuminate Martorell’s gaze

Consuelo’s work highlights her hands like laurel

A spring flower that the whole earth nurtures

Her hands immortalize the work of any painter

The girl in love blossomed in the eyes of a stranger

Illusions stolen from a love marked by the bonfire

She fought to preserve who she was

A selfish man enslaved her and used her to his advantage

The muse fled from the thief with her soul shattered

Her pleas for help fell upon deaf ears

Frustrated and fearful, she knocked on every door

She found silence on her journey through the land

Martorell’s muse, today your voice resounds

Justice for the daughters whom no one remembers

They find solace in Andrea’s hands

Those who demand freedom from the love that chains them

Dedicated to the work of the Puerto Rican painter Antonio Martorell: Consuelo (Las manos de Andrea).

Published in the anthology Vivas las queremos – Voces del mundo contra el feminicidio 2023 .

The renowned Puerto Rican painter Antonio Martorell decided to produce a work dedicated to the memory of his deceased sister, Consuelo. To capture his sister’s essence, Martorell asked one of his students to find a young woman with beautiful hands, similar to Consuelo’s, to serve as a model for his painting. Andrea Ruiz was the young woman chosen. She became his muse and helped him to bring the work to life. However, months later, Andrea was brutally murdered by her ex-partner, who could not accept the end of their relationship. Deeply moved by this tragedy, Martorell decided to change the name of his work from “Consuelo” to “Consuelo (Andrea’s Hands),” paying tribute not only to his sister but also to Andrea.

This majestic work becomes a powerful symbol of memory and reflection, honoring the lives of two women: one, a mother and wife, whose existence left a profound mark; and the other, a young woman full of dreams and hopes, whose life was tragically taken by gender-based violence.

“Beloved Mother”

Beloved mother, remember that you are my example

Sobs at dawn, the autumn of a life in silence

How long will you remain silent, mother, the murderess of my dreams?

My longings are lost in the greenhouse gardens

I am your daughter, mother, give me a fond memory

Can’t you see that love does not lie in your bed?

He abuses you and kills the innocence I carry within

Bloodstains adorn our meeting

How long will I hear the screams

of the beggar of a dead love?

That is my mother, a sorceress’s flower burning in time

Lost within the labyrinth, she found clarity in the desert’s vastness.

You give birth to victims of violence,

never teaching us to place love within ourselves first.

Now I am the one fighting against the islander, against the past,

and the voice that implores freedom for the woman I hold in my memories 

Dedicated to the daughters of abused women.

Published in the anthology Vivas las queremos – Voces del mundo contra el feminicidio 2023.

Through tears, a nine-year-old student confessed to me that her father abused her mother. She was caught in a cycle of resentment and pain, struggling to understand why her mother did nothing to change a reality that harmed her and her siblings. Her words emerged like a choked cry, filled with anger and confusion.

Despite my efforts to get help for her mother and encourage her to break free from the bond tying her to her abuser, she always found ways to justify staying. She either couldn’t or wouldn’t release herself from the chains of that destructive relationship.

Years later, fate brought us together again. That girl, now 19, was studying nursing. I was filled with wonder and hope to learn that her mother had finally left her father. But the light in my former student’s eyes had faded; the girl I had known seemed to have vanished. She was replaced by a young woman marked by deep disappointment in her mother.

“Beloved Mother” is the reflection of that girl whose life was marked by her mother’s decisions. A story of love, disillusionment, and pain that shows how the choices we make can leave indelible marks on those who need us most—our children.

“You Do Not Belong to Me”

You do not belong to me; leave me

Who invited you into my existence?

Only God is allowed in, whom I implore to receive

Tell me, when are you going to leave?

Go away, you are not welcome here

My life is sacred; it serves the “I Am” of my being

He gives me beautiful songs when I ask

Heal me, God of my soul; my life serves You

There, the impostor flees from me

I am the daughter of God, the one born to serve

Finally, this invader left with the pain and bitterness of suffering

and moved away from me, because it simply does not belong here

“You Do Not Belong to Me” is a tribute to all cancer survivors, and especially to my best friend, Rebecca Vila Paoli. Through her faith and gratitude to God, she found a deeper and more direct relationship with Him in the midst of her illness.

“You Do Not Belong to Me” draws inspiration from a moving conversation with Roselyn Sánchez’s mother, whose fight against colon cancer reshaped her life. The poem echoes an intimate exchange she had with the disease by the ocean—a moment of strength where she claimed her body and insisted the cancer had no place within her.

That dialogue marked a turning point in her life. “You Do Not Belong to Me” symbolizes faith and the power of the word in those who believe. It represents faith and the strength found in the spoken word among those who believe. The woman was healed and attributed part of her healing to the conversation she had with the disease. This poem is a declaration of healing in the midst of adversity.

“The Stranger”

Born in Alcazaba,

he walks with a clear gaze

He has grown up among golden walls,

full of dreams, he travels to distant lands

Winter clouds cloud his longings

Gray days accompany his thoughts

His love has frozen in time

He takes refuge only in his dream journeys

A solitary man who dwells in time

He has decided not to share his flight

He is interrupted by the girl of his dreams

A spell of love; God calls in secret

Only love breaks the fear

of that stranger who begins his flight

A new life rises in secret

from the man who once thought himself dead

The spell of love has resurrected his dreams

“The Stranger” is inspired by the man who awakened in me the desire to be a poet. A friendship that was born from a distance and, over time, blossomed, weaving a bond that enriched my soul.

Juan Moisés became the pillar of my inspiration, transforming my life by helping me overcome my insecurities and fostering my belief in myself.  His presence, though distant, left a deep and indelible mark on my journey through life and on my voice as a poet.

“Asperger”

They call you atypical, hope of tomorrow,

You behave like an adult in the classroom

The students admire you; unique among your kind

They call you Edgardo, son of my womb

Champion of tongue twisters, voracious reader every dawn

You prefer silence, lover of solitude, wherever you go

A clumsy writer, you compare yourself to your peers

Everyone is your friend; everyone seeks you

A blessing of life, exceptional among your kind,

You are my beloved son, the forerunner of tomorrow

Your