She had fire in her fingers, Sandwiches in a napkin, And sadness she never said out loud. I was the boy with busted shoes, Dodging demons, Dusty clothes and a crooked crowd. She fed me under flickering lights, Risked her father’s furious fists For a friend with nothing to give back. Never once did she wince at my scent, Or the silence I wore like a mask. We were shattered shelter, Sidewalk saints, Chalk hearts on blacktop, Laughing through pain. Ojitos… Little lantern in my gloom, You held hope in your room Like a whisper no one else could hear. Ojitos… You saw the soul I never showed, Taught me love in undertones, Then disappeared like a summer tear. Ojitos lindos, aún te sueño En cada sombra, en cada ruega del tiempo Tus besos no fueron promesas, fueron fuego Y aunque te fuiste… aún te llevo adentro Years blurred like backseat fog, Time tangled in teenage songs. We’d drift, then dance back into view — Close enough to count your freckles, Far enough to forget the truth. I found you again when my sky split wide, You were sipping sweet sins, Singing secrets at night. Your eyes still carried that familiar ache, Like a poem with pages someone tried to erase. Your smile said “stay,” But your silence said “go.” And I never quite knew Which way to fold. Ojitos… Little storm in still skin, You let me in just to begin A goodbye you never said out loud. Ojitos… You traced my name with trembling hands, Then vanished like forgotten plans, A ghost too golden to be found. I read the message — short and sharp, You laughed me off like a passing spark. But even now, in quiet nights, I swear I still feel your light. You said you missed the way I smelled, The way I spoke, Like I was a song Your soul once wrote. Ojitos… The girl who gave me grace and grief, A moment’s mercy, brief relief — A chapter I still reread in the dark. Ojitos… I don’t know if you remember me, But your kindness kept me on my feet. You were the first to love My broken heart. No te olvidé… Ni cuando debí hacerlo… Eras mi casa… cuando no tenía techo. (“I didn’t forget you… not even when I should have. You were my home… when I had no roof.”)

“Ojitos (Eyes I’ll Never Forget)”