Priscilla Rice, Loba (Self-Sacrifice, Self-Love)

It was the night my totem appeared in a dream

A she-wolf, una loba, who stood outside the door

I was inside with my ex, and I could hear the rasp of her voice

The agony, echoing in the dark and the howls of lament and rabia,

 The cadence of her heart, in sync with mine

She was either trying to call to me –or kill me 

I, a stubborn women by design, in a house with her ex-amor

An unmerciful, unfaithful man who had plundered all the logic that once existed in my brain

But I had to filter out all the bad people, las malas influencias, from my life

I had a choice –I could stay here with this fool, this pendejo

Or I could open the door, ascend into the dark, into what was waiting for me

Was I willing to take the chance, and dive deep into the unknown?

I scanned his face one last time, looking for any sign of humanity

I felt a surge of emotions, but destiny was calling and she wasn’t going to wait for me

Ciao amore, I said, leaving a daub of lipstick on his lip

One last stand, before giving in to my loba

Rumi said to gamble everything for love

And I was –for self-love

My destiny was to be fulfilled 

La loba behest me to make a move

It was clear that I had to show her that love would prevail, and I opened the door

Y la pobre had blood in her mouth, as if she had been in a terrible fight—conmigo, with me.

But she stood there in all her grace

This was no accident or chance encounter I had stumbled into – this was my destino

I dug one heel and then the other into the Earth, firm in my position

I looked her straight in her crystalline eyes, and I saw her revelation

I then woke up, with the corazon and the courage of a loba

In her perfect timing, she had presented herself, and wanted to see me thrive in my new existence

She sacrificed everything for me to have una nueva vida, a new life as a loba 


Priscilla Rice is a Pleasant-Grove based poet, storyteller and actor. She’s performed in shows by Cara Mia Theatre, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Dallas Children’s Theater, and Artstillery. Priscilla is also an interpreter in the education field, as well as a traffic reporter/producer for KRLD radio. She co-founded “Verse & Rhythm” with B. Randall and Rafael Tamayo, and is a member of Tejana Cosmica, an experimental poetry collective. Priscilla has a passion for arts advocacy and is currently on the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission, representing District 5.