Supervisor Noelia Corzo made history as the first Latina elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and is a single mom, daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, and bilingual Spanish speaker. She was twice-elected Board Trustee of the San Mateo-Foster City School District. She has worked as a social worker, foster youth advocate, and community organizer. She studied Sociology at Cañada College and San Francisco State University, obtaining her A.A. and B.A. degrees. She lives in San Mateo with her son, Mikey, and her dog, Quetzi.
Poem on Healing
I’VE BEEN WAITING.
I have been waiting to meet you all my life. Your eyes; so beautifully brown and joyful. The strength of your will; completely unshakable. Your dedication to lighting other people’s darkness; undeniable. I remember the days you loved so hard but didn’t know how to let yourself be loved. Your eyes are no longer empty and sad. There’s now a fire there. One I always knew was there. The embers slowly burning just waiting for a gust of wind strong enough to light it up. I know that fire set you free. It burned down all those walls you thought were unbreakable. Everyone who told you that those walls were there for your own good was wrong. They never understood the person you were or the person you were meant to be. Maybe they never will and though that pains you, letting it go has pushed you towards your destiny. A destiny more incredible than any you ever imagined for yourself. One that was always yours. I see you so clearly now. Looking in the mirror never felt so good.
Copyright © Noelia Corzo. Used with permission of the author.
