I have known the wild vastness of the night in el pueblo
When he’s drunk and he’s dangerous and he’s throwing bottles of presidentes
against the ground,
fingers gliding along grains of glass.
The river is black
but I can still see curious lurking alligators
waiting for a fix of sweet blood,
and everyone can see the moon dancing on their green skin.
I have known the wild nature of the horses in the pastures
who cry
Because headlights are blinding when the road is lost at night —
A Haitian angel came to me in my dreams last night and told me,
Whatever you do in this world will be measured by the moon —
A glowing ball, a reminder that you are still young and
this is not love.
I have known the melancholy of the empanada man as he serves loud teenagers,
Niños relájense, la noche esta joven
But they still dance wildly so their bodies can taste the crisp 4 a.m. air
that smells like salt and smoke and the desire to be loved and
Blue is the color of my dreams.
I have known the loudness of my mother as she grabs me to dance Bachata
because I’m not a real Dominicana if I can’t sway my hips.
I have seen the blackness of blue waters,
The white moon reflects
as a reminder that
Love exists more when we can’t see
The face of a blue-eyed boy whose eyes have turned red with fire.