Love Lay Down Just Now

 Sérgio Gibim Ortéga

Love lay down just now,
but not even a second passed for it.
Time flies through existence —
and I, too, no longer am.

Yet when we are here,
we’re always ready to awaken.
Time does not pass for the living,
but for those who sleep,
there is no time, no pause,
no pain, no memory.

Time flies —
and the mystery is this:
perhaps we never truly leave,
perhaps we are always here,
ready to be reborn,
ready to live again
in any form,
in any being
in this dreamlike existence.

A TRUE FRIEND

– Sérgio Gibim Ortega

Today I'm feeling lost and low,
so many fake smiles put on show.
Pretending friends with hearts of stone —
I search for one, but find none known.

My heart is torn, my soul betrayed,
by masks and games that people play.
They’re not the ones they claim to be —
such falseness hurts so endlessly.

But still I hope, still I believe,
true friends exist who never leave.
With honest hearts and open mind,
a loyal friend is hard to find.

Yet somewhere near or far away,
a real friend walks this world today.
With truth and care, without disguise —
a friend whose soul wears no disguise.

(01/14/2018)

MY MOTHER, MY PLACE

                           By Sérgio Gibim Ortéga

(For Mother’s Day)
They took the house, the yard, the song,
the scent of coffee on sheets all along,
but they couldn’t steal her morning cheer,

nor her gentle ways when dawn is near.

They say all things have price and name,
but a mother is root no one can tame.
Even far, she’s the sky within mine,
even gone, where my soul finds its shrine.

They sold off memories, locked every gate,
but hearts don’t sign or seal their fate.
She breathes through each of my prayers,
in quiet verses, she’s always there.
I cannot see her, cannot be near,

but where she goes, my eyes appear.
This Mother’s Day, I’m longing and grace,
a hug that no harm can ever erase.
                                                 [May 8, 2025]

"Portraits of Time"

                                 (By Sérgio Gibim Ortéga)

On yellowed paper, time gently lays,
Frozen smiles in memory’s sweet gaze.
Stories embroidered with tenderness' name.

Eyes that still shine in the old picture frame,

Dresses and hats, childhood’s embrace,

Hugs softly kept in memory’s space.
A world without hurry, with footsteps so light,
Where love and longing forever take flight.

Each wrinkle, a verse life chose to compose,

Each glance reveals a story that rose.
In the dance of the photos, time tries to hide,
But never erases what lives deep inside.

If today I relive these simple displays,

It’s to tell the past—I still belong to those days.
I carry this film ever etched in my chest,
For all that I was... still lives in my nest.

(for social media, posts, synopsis)

A love story knows no borders.

Soon, the pages of my life will speak your language. “Loirinha – The Great Love of My Life”

is reaching all English-speaking hearts in the United States, Canada and the world.

A Dream Written Across Borders

Translating this book is much more than converting words from one language to another — it is the living proof that dreams never expire, no matter how many years pass.

This story was born from the heart of a boy who was just 12 years old when he first dared to write it. A boy who had no publishers, no guidance, no resources — only the pure, relentless desire to put on paper a love that marked his soul forever.

Decades have passed. That boy grew up, faced the challenges of life, and carried this story within him as a treasure kept safe — waiting for the right moment to be shared with the world.

Today, at nearly 57 years old, I look back and realize: some loves are too big to be forgotten. Some memories deserve to travel beyond the borders of time, language, and distance. That is why I chose to bring this book to life in English — so that readers in the United States, Canada, and anywhere this language reaches can also walk through the streets of my childhood, hear the music of my memories, and feel the innocent heartbeat of a first love that never truly faded.

Canada, in particular, holds a special place in my heart. It’s the place my beloved son dreams of one day calling home. Life isn’t always easy — finances, challenges, and language are barriers — but if there’s something I’ve learned, it’s that no dream is ever too big when the heart believes. And this book is the living proof of that.

Back then, when I was that boy with a notebook and a dream, I never imagined that one day I’d have the help of something as incredible as Artificial Intelligence — a tool that became a true companion in this journey of translation and transformation.

I wrote this book with nothing but heart, hope, and perseverance. No publisher. No sponsorship. Just me, my memories, and the unshakable will to make my words eternal.

And now, with deep emotion, I share it with you. I hope it touches your heart as deeply as it has touched mine for a lifetime.

Thank you for reading my story. Thank you for being part of this dream.

Sérgio Gibim Ortéga