The fables of Carmine
Ode to mother
You demonize privilege,
the very nostrils that fetch air to your lungs.
The sinister boogeyman you drag around behind you,
like a suitcase on wheels. That only packs all the punches of your past.
Occasionally, you take one out and assault me.
Everywhere you go you plant seeds
of chaos.
There’s no home for me to…seek out.
Return to, to rest.
Nowhere to run. Only somewhere to hide
A pavilion built on the foundation of lies.
A home is a well dug deep into the ground, a refreshment.
Nurtured by the hands of a kept promise.
A set of hands that act as a source, cupping water to drink from.
Mother; a living spring, an endless harvest, botanical, fashioned to propagate pieces of your aura.
But you strip me of all my fauna and flora.
For every child that governs its mother, is a bird that is denied the autonomy to fly.
To live under a constant pull to help you is to live under the persistent haunting of a phantom that’s always beckoning me to sing.
About the Creator
Natasha Collazo
Selected Writer in Residency, Champagne France ---2026
The Diary of an emo Latina OUT NOW
https://a.co/d/0jYT7RR
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Poetry Workshop
Previously, I published my first ever exclusive story on Vocal. If you’ve subscribed to my work, then you have access to it. Thank YOU for your support. I hope to make each read worth your while. So with that, I’ll be posting insights for exclusive readers only, such as a workshop on my craft. The hows and who’s of my stories. Pretty much revealing my secrets on how I write with you. So welcome fam, and let’s get started!
By Natasha CollazoExclusive • about a year ago
📢 Raise Your Voice Thread: 01/08/2026
Our “Raise Your Voice Threads” are hosted most alternating Thursdays at 12PM ET to offer creators more avenues to uncover exceptional stories on Vocal. As we are continuously searching for fresh creators and inspiring stories, this thread provides an opportunity to exchange and discuss the stories that have moved and motivated us on Vocal.
By Raise Your Voice by Vocal7 days ago in Resources
Comments (8)
Phenomenal writing Natasha! Honest & poignant!
It's a bitter sweet poem, ....savoury and very good
This feels like a struggle with love and obligation—someone caught between care and suffocation, trying to reclaim space to just be. The pain is quiet, but powerful.
I never thought of a mother being botanical, but now they all seem to be that. Beautiful poem!
Oh wow, that was so heavy and intense. Poignant yet so beautiful. Loved it!
-Mother; a living spring, an endless harvest, botanical, fashioned to propagate pieces of your aura.- 😮🤩👏👏👏 Nicely done!!!
How we tend to call all creation to sing, but only from the playlist of our choosing. To set her free to sing her own song, well..., who would ever consider such a crazy idea? And so my heart aches.
Captivating poem!!!