You were thunder in red bottom high heels
long black hair like midnight silk
a heart stitched with gold and grit
spilling over with love
even when your body ached

Latina spice with designer dreams
you made the world your runway
a mother, a muse
with two bright sons and a gentle man
who held your hand through the storm

We met where the shadows dance
and stories stay locked in whispers

You took me under your wing
like you’d been born to fly
and teach others how to soar too

you were the light
guiding me through the dark
No one will ever know

what was hidden underneath it all
but I carry it like a secret flame

a force to be reckoned with
To know you was to ache
to crave more of you

like getting a taste of a forbidden fruit
to be forever marked
by the depth of your spirit.

Even sick, you burned brighter
than most do in their healthiest hour.

And today on this special day
we celebrate the miracle of your existence
the legacy of your love
the fire you left behind
that still warms our broken hearts.

Happy birthday, Linda
You were one of a kind
And I’ll never stop loving you
for all the lives you lived