CUMBIA

CUMBIA

Red                                                                                  

white

lace  

ribbons

colors

a candle

skirt hem

in hands

outstretched

to the stars

light

of bonfires

feet and hips

subtle moves

elegance

drums

maracas

flutes

a touch

of tropic

a slice

of rhythm

a shot

of rum

a pinch

of the sea

palm trees

a smile

pride

grace

ancestry

Native Indian

Criollo

& African

CUMBIA

By María T. Balogh: Published in Untamed Ink

CARIBBEAN DANCING

 Drums and millet flutes rule

the damp iodized evening spent

beneath palm trees & thatched awnings

Hips in sync with the murmur

of contagious hypnotic tunes     

turning quickly thunderous

Bodies coming together

in a frenzy of sensual jolts

tight sinuous embraces

Pairs of thighs merge indistinguishable

chests inseparable shoeless feet entangled

one candescent respiration & slippery perspiration

One mass of swim shorts and suits

One blend of fabric colors blues yellows

becoming greens over oscillating flesh

           

& when dawn begins to blink

            & the roosters awake in the distance

& the drums & the songs of flutes fade 

 

some depart

                 still strangers

others do not

Published by Bad Shoe