They instantly say, “Oh you look so much like him.” It makes me mad because when they say that. It makes me feel like I am him.
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by Leslie Mateos
I am his reflection in the mirror
My eyes, my lips, my nose, my hair even my moles everything I got it from my dad
A dad that I love and hate at the same time.
I love my dad because he gave me the best childhood any kid can ask for.
I hate him for beating my mom halfway to death, those were my worst moments.
I hate the fact that I look like him. I don’t want to look like him.
When people at parties ask me, “who’s your dad?”
I am ashamed to answer because they know my dad is an alcoholic.
I simply answer “Rigoberto Mateos the son of Roberto Mateos.”
They instantly say, “Oh you look so much like him.
It makes me mad because when they say that. It makes me feel like I am him
And I am him because his blood runs through me.
Every time I look at myself in the mirror I see him
The same way Simba saw his dad in the lake.
I am his reflection in the mirror.
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