Yes, yes ya'll....to the beat ya'll....to the rhythm and bass ya'll....of prose and verse ya'll....(Somewhere in the the world, Kool Moe Dee is frowning about what I've just done....Chuckle....). Well here we are, still in the midst of National Poetry Month. I imagine we're each observing and honoring the craft by reading, writing, educating and performing as am I. Well truth be told, the performing not so much. The writing however, yes that I do. Below you'll find a piece I've revised and am officially announcing as my poetic contribution. Enjoy!
Mamá planted philosophy
when she knelt in her garden.
Seasoned strands and beads of sweat
garnished soft Indio features.
Laugh lines surrounded warm eyes
and tinted lips played doorways to proverbs.
She bathed brown hands rich with earth
as she spoke of the lilies, the perennials, the rose bushes and tulips.
Each one blooms during the day, she would say.
Each one under the suns’ spotlight,
swaying and dancing as if in a Broadway play.
Mamá planted philosophy
while a budding face of fawn gazed at her.
Looking down at this resemblance of the Antilles,
she smiled a wrinkled tenderness
as empty flower pots were held.
Indigenous and dark,
thick in lips and thighs,
implanted and rooted,
the innocence waited for the seasoned skill
for both pot and mind.
Beautiful petals fall from your head, she would say.
Be proud to wear such a crown,
but do not be like my garden mi'ja;
do not boast for all to see your nectar,
for robbery and greed
adorn the most humble of bees.
Mamá planted philosophy
when she knelt in her garden,
often talking about the treasures of the night.
Be a night bloomer
whose petals and fragrance stay clear of the day,
but glow softly under the moonlight.
When night tide approaches
and no one is watching
and the suns’ rays wilt like leaves in the cold
and the moon is calling out for the symphony of the night,
only then should you celebrate the fire in your hair,
the rainbow of your skin,
the chékere in your movement.
Only then mi'ja,
only then.
RLL Copyright © 2010.
4 comments:
love this.
kiss from the questioner.
I love it!!!!!! your are definitley talented and i love your quirky intro. So cool. Quirky cool. That is how I describe myself too, LOL! God Bless and keep on writing!
¡Que poesía bellesa! The imagery is fragrant with your mother's garden. I'm reminded of all the times my mama shares her wisdom of womanhood. They always have a "doble sentido" method of telling us how to behave and present ourselves, you're poem did an excellent job of bringing that form of mother-to-daughter dialogue to life, kudos chiqa!
Lovely. ;)
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