Wednesday, May 23, 2018

moment by mom

Operation "missing I" 
in opera town where war is waging. 
What does it mean to a soldier to dance? 
It means dodging bullets. 
I'd like to dodge some bullets 
with you, Miss, I say. 
I'd like to sing with you, Miss. 

Missing you, I found I. 

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

QUIP

QUIP

I'm all the way on the spectrum,
or was, or can be, in a dream last night
I was clapping along to Zenen Zeferino
and Julia Del Palacio, both of whom I am
in love with. Those names alone
make me swoon.

Paolo Javier was there
Queens Poet Laureate
His second child still on the way
He graced the stage
with that perfect name
Paolo Javier

Radio Jarocho too, the way Julia
said it, rolling the rrrrs, rrrradiohairrrrocho,
the blue dress, the voice aloft & loose
in the wisps of rain on the last refrain
We couldn't believe it was true.
Richard Joo was there and Quinn O'Sullivan
Marco Battisto and Diana Dimutru
The Sunnyside representatives were out in force
Jaime Sweetman rocking that sweet Liverpudlian brogue,
plus Argentinian, Indian, Morrocan tongues too, to name a few.

There was a touch and go moment
when the sound went awry
-feedback on the monitors-
and Julia decided to take the band off the system,
walked off the stage and into the crowd
circled everyone around her and played sans amplification...
It was sudden intimacy, everyone clapping,
every one completely under the spell of the evening
as if the feeback was just for that
And then, there it was, the coup de grace
The rhythms of Julia's feet
dancing with Amoa's djimbe
Amoa from Akoko Nante
the band that played previously
came back up for the encore
the two cultures riffing rhythmically
back and forth in perfect synchrony
Amoa from Akoko Nante
Say it with me
Say it outloud
Amoa from Akoko Nante
Julia Del Palacio
and Zenen Zeferino
More pleasing words you will not find