#salsa
The music calls me
Takes hold of my soul,
pulls me to the dance floor—
and I become
the girl in red shoes,
driven to dance through pain,
through exhaustion.
Suavemente, bésame
But I welcome it.
I laugh through the ache,
move through the burn.
I crave the sweat,
the heat—
the way my body forgets to hurt.
Quimbara, quimbara, quma, quimbamba
The drums take me captive,
and I go willingly,
hips in sync with the rhythm,
feet defying fire.
What is it that makes me burn this way?
A curse—
etched in my bloodline.
An inheritance I never chose,
but never refuse.
It makes me feel alive.
And I never want to stop.
Jul 27, 2025
Jul 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM UTC
We were eating diner
a heartfealt family meal
a red aura asceued throughout
enuced my appeal.
He asked what the meal was called.
I looked at the *** as my mom's voice trailed off,
"Um... meat with sauce"
The deep red chile con nopales
todava existe con todas estas reglas sociales
She softened her tongue for colonizer mouths
we were eating our food in her own house
Chile colorado that stained her hands
turned to twisted song that sung a sour dance.
The conversation lasted a few seconds
but to me the thought beckoned
Its call Chile Colorado for it's deep red hue,
like the spilled blood of my ancestors
and I wonder; "What would they do?"
I draw my tortilla through the salsa
pero entre mi corazon algo senti falsa.
Why do we lie by our own words
Its almost like we are
scared to be heard.
The sharp english language hurts like a cut
but my creamy soft spanish rolls of my tounge.
Chile is a Nahuatl word
A representation of a blend of my two cultures
Mestiso, a swirling blend
of my Spanish colonizers
and my Native soul
stuck between two worlds, a song sung like a Oriol
My brown tint skin,
like the pews of a church or a sad sung hymn,
they do not hide behind a colonized word
so why should I hide the names of a food
of which with love we feed to you.
Apr 25, 2025
Apr 25, 2025 at 2:23 PM UTC
Awake from dreams,
the roses bloom
blush and make love
like salsa waves
upon moonlit shores
Reynaldo Casison
Mar 10, 2025
Mar 10, 2025 at 9:55 PM UTC
I bang my elbow in the shower,
takes a second to realize why
not that I was careless
or enjoy pain, again
but the cascara
cowbell, saxophone,
hands around my shoulders
that are not my own
sunlight squeezing lemons,
flower dress upon the hill
potato enchilada
still
digesting
messing
with my footwork
possibly
maybe
I was careless.
Showers are not the place for salsa.
May 10, 2021
May 10, 2021 at 9:43 AM UTC
Que suenen las trompetas
un don para el presidente:
La salsa lo hará grande
y elevará su mente.
Escuchen el tumbao:
compártanlo libremente—
y que él gane en noviembre
sin tumulto ni incidente.
Oct 12, 2020
Oct 12, 2020 at 10:28 AM UTC
Pink behind the rising moon
Your hipbone beneath my right hand
knees clash to Latin percussion
Together we count
1 2 3…5 6 7 8
Trading vulnerabilities over pork and pasta,
I feel, for one awful moment,
The pain of my daughter’s contempt
You reassure a mother after being kicked by her child
1 2 3...5 6 7 8
Supine silence on yellow grass mats. Faint from heat
I feel sad when you recount
how I charged your phone first.
You deserve kindness. I am kind
1 2 3…5 6 7 8
Your laugh resounds above all
A solo from the audience
As proud and loud as any Jazzman’s improvisation
encouraging us all to do better
1 2 3…5 6 7 8
Earthy smell of your skin spread across the sheets
Curled up with tan litheness, I watch
green block letters rise and fall.
Wishing it was more than breath propelling them up and down,
I curse my own heart for swelling.
123...
May 2, 2019
May 2, 2019 at 1:22 PM UTC
Fragile hands,
Weathered and cracked,
Grasping onto the neck of the swan
They are tough,
Yet, all the while, their reach is gentle,
And they glide with the swan to the pond’s lively middle
Up
Up they go
Ricocheting off the dancing beads of
water
doing the tango,
the salsa,
and, at last,
ballroom.
Mar 21, 2018
Mar 21, 2018 at 6:36 PM UTC
Darling,
take my hand and
dance with me.
Let’s perform the graceful art of painting lines on the floor with every swift move.
We spin around the dance floor, that has now become our home.
Softly, holding our bodies close.
Not too close,
but close enough.
Let us waltz into each other’s hearts with every step.
And with every movement let us prove our love.
A love for everyone to see.
Dance partners that were clearly meant to be.
Let’s dance salsa.
And no... I don’t mean the kind for chips.
The rhythmic salsa that makes our hearts beat out of our chests and intertwine with every note.
The salsa that causes the adrenaline in our bodies to rush as we follow every beat.
Let us practice our seduction through a heated tango.
As we caress each other’s bodies and souls.
Intensely loving and never wanting to let go.
A tango that will set our feelings on fire.
Darling,
Dance with me, please.
One last time before you leave.
Feb 3, 2018
Feb 3, 2018 at 7:13 PM UTC
Come, let us dance right now!
Hold my hand and put the other behind me!
You take one step backwards,
And then two steps forwards now!
Then I will repeat the same,
And I will let you lean back on my arms,
You do so with so much grace,
Such grace that even flowers blush.
Apr 13, 2017
Apr 13, 2017 at 2:35 AM UTC
Music in the air
Drinking, Dancing
Joyous laughter
Salsa flows
African Beats
Africa in Me
One, Two, Three
We feel free
Four, Five, Six
Moving to the mix
Seven, Eight, Nine
Spin her around
See her smile
Hair spills all over
A twinkle in her;
Eyes, bright
African Beats
African in Me
Love for our roots
A song that unites
All peoples
Everyone is kind
All cultures
No one left behind
We are all one
Thanks to those
African Beats
JM 10/4/16
Feb 25, 2017
Feb 25, 2017 at 10:26 AM UTC
Baby you're killing me with your moves
Your easy gait and **** grooves
Oh gosh! but I want to sway with you
Be tossed and turned, my beau.
Your moving, **** image
Is in my mind through out the day
Yay! it didn't help the adrenaline rage
As in my mind with you I sway.
Oh my! but that body I so adore
Now I'm drooling so much more
Johnny Bravo, step aside, step aside
My man has a body that's driving me wild
With his easy gait and **** grooves
I'm sure ladies will come in droves
Shhh! but I'll let them in
And gladly kick their shin!
6.27.14
Aug 9, 2014
Aug 9, 2014 at 7:21 PM UTC
This isn't your mother's dance.
The wooden clave
seduces the naive
into suave arms
of the night.
Quick quick slow
exalts wooden caderas
and untames silky locks.
Wrinkled hands
caress the caras
of clumsy coquetas.
In the name of the dance,
vestidos apretados
replace pants,
which men outgrow,
steeling blue eyes
in rusty miradas.
Mirandla.
*Mira la guera,
como se toca,
como se mueve,
comos se salta el vestido suyo.*
Mirandlo.
*Look at him,
how he touches me,
how he swings me,
how his feet mock me.*
Mirandnos
Ella me quiere.
We are JUST dancing.
Ayyy, como me pega.
We're close, but Salsa is intimate.
Oooh mami...
Does he think it's more than a dance?
quick quick slow,
quick quick slow,
quick quick slow,
quicK quiCK quICK qUICK QUICK...
...silence.
they shake hands,
and thank each other for the dance.
Jul 27, 2014
Jul 27, 2014 at 3:23 PM UTC
*An upscale lounge well known,
For its ambiance and specialty cocktail,
Which includes live entertainment dancers,
On stage, in fine detail.
While a glamorous female stood in front of the bar,
With a deep sea blue martini, in her right hand,
In an ice cold oversized snifter, dipped in sugar upon the rim,
Where she leisurely stands.
With a pink orchid,
And blue twisted glow stick, placed inside her drink,
Taking rhythmical steps,
Side by side, in sync.
Dressed in a strapless dress, slightly above her knee,
Nicely fitted, in shades of purple, green and teal,
Displaying a genuine soft look,
With such great appeal.
When a young man walked in,
And gazed into her seductive dark brown eyes,
Reaching out his hand,
Asking her to dance, as he passed by.
She was absolutely stunning,
With fair complexion, short black hair, a beautiful silhouette,
And a radiant smile, reliving her early days,
An unbelievable night, quite difficult to forget.
She appeared divine,
Upon the dance floor, mainly surrounded by youth,
Dancing salsa throughout the night,
And mixed melodies, near the DJ booth.*
May 4, 2014
May 4, 2014 at 3:36 AM UTC