Birth Mother

Berenice Velez,
I do not know,
And cannot imagine
What it is like
To give a child up
For adoption.

You were 26 years old
At the time.
You gave birth to me
At Our Lady of Bethlehem Hospital
In Bogota, Colombia.
Other than these facts,
I know nothing about you.

Allow me to tell you
A few things about myself.
I am 34 now.
My family is small:
My sister, my cousin and I
Are the only three in our generation.
My aunt is the only one left
From my parents' generation.
I live in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
I love animals,
And have three dogs and a cat.
I live down the block
From my best friend,
Who has three parrots, a dog,
An impossible husband,
And a mother with Alzheimer's.
I work for a chain of
Community newspapers.
I love music, books, and writing.
Most importantly,
I am a Child of the Most High God,
Adopted into his family
Through the gift of Christ's salvation.

I discovered I was adopted
After Mommie and Daddy passed away.
I was shocked (naturally)
And a little angry
That they had never told me.
I want you to know, however,
That I was not angry at you.
I wondered, and still do,
Why you chose as you did,
But I wonder out of curiosity,
And not judgment.
I did not feel that I had been abandoned,
As adopted children sometimes do.
On the contrary, I felt blessed
To become part of the family I did.

I probably will never
Seek you out,
For fear of upsetting
Your life as it now is.
I wonder what kind of life you lead.
I wonder if you are well,
And safe,
And happy.
I wonder if you are surrounded
By good family and friends.
I wonder if you had anymore children.
I wonder if you ever wonder
About me.

Berenice Velez,
Mi vida es un regalo,
Y tú eres la dador de este regalo.
Tú tienes mi gracias eterno.
Que sean bendecidos.