Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Victoria Hernandez Dances




They say I never dance
at school assemblies—all the boys
wearing pressed and tucked shirts
and the girls, their hair pinned back
with clips and bows. But they don’t know

I dance with her in unlit spaces.
Under the bleachers in the corner,
she takes my hand and twirls me around,
embraces my waist with her thin, dark arms,
and silently dips me backwards.

Her body becomes a comma, and my heart,
sound flooding my ears, pauses when
she pulls my body so close to hers,
then steps away, and I breathe
the Salsa beats again, watch her hips sway,
a primal music pulsing in my veins.

She burns deep,
deeper in my belly. 
And no one knows
how our love is beats 
and melodies and doesn’t need 
to speak or be seen.

You never dance, they say. But I do.
I dance and dance and dance.

© Ami Mattison

23 comments:

  1. So wonderful to see you posting, Ami.

    May you always go on dancing. Lovely, heart-felt poem.

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    1. Thanks, Maureen. I'm wishing you lots of love in return.

      And yes, I'm sticking my toes back into the blogging waters. We'll see how it goes...

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  2. woohoo - amy's in the house...off to read.. just was so happy to see you

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    1. So good to see you! Thanks for stopping by. It's great to be back!

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  3. oh wow...read it about four times...just love it amy...I dance with her in unlit spaces. Under the bleachers in the corner.. what a tender and intimate dance...so magical..so real...

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    1. Aw, Claudia. You're very kind. Thank you. I'll be making the rounds late tonight and tomorrow, and your poem will be my first stop! Thanks again!

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  4. booyah! ami is back!!!!!! great to see you ami...and hear you might be writing something for us soon too...smiles....oh i dance...smiles...love the intimacy in this....

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    1. Brian! I've missed you! Thank you for your kind comment and for stopping by.

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  5. So good to see you posting again, ami, especially something this cool. I love the images, the swaying, the magic of the secret, the life in the ending lines.

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    1. Hedge!!!! Yay! So good of you to stop through. And thank you for your comment. I always appreciate your observations.

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  6. Truly danced with your words in every way. And dance you did, nicely done!

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  7. I am smiling broadly this evening, to see a new poem, to sway in its magic, it's a beautiful thing to have you back. missed you girl.

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    1. Yay! Thank you, sMichelle! I've missed you and your sweetness. I'll be dropping by your blog real soon.

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  8. A beautiful poem, Ami. Very nicely done!
    http://charleslmashburn.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/i-cant-do-this-anymore/

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  9. I was excited to see your name on the linky list Ami! I enjoyed reading your work. Love the intimacy of this poem, subtle, secretive, mysterious...

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    1. Thank you, Ann. That's quite a compliment! I appreciate that you stopped by.

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  10. This is a WONDERFUL poem... I could re-read it over and over again - I think I WILL!

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  11. So very engaging and powerful...the secret lives of the mind are the most interesting. This has grace and rhythm and a strong emotional hook--all the good things that make it a pleasure to re-read.

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  12. This is lovely--the pulsation palpable. K.

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