This poem was inspired by a John Santos concert that paid tribute to and featured Cuban jazz. Held in SF Jazz’s beautiful venue, the music transcended the location, reaching a patchwork of cultures, traditions and times.
NOTES IN THE KEY OF SEE
Skat,
sticks, bongos,
congas, keys
alto
and soprano sax
one man sings – another
bows, blows and strums –
one cues the rest
gelled in color
their bobbing heads
liquid fingers
pumping feet
their caps, vests, violins
and big cellos
shiver and hum hist’ry
of island and rhythms
wind through fronds, brushstroke
tides, sizzling streets under cobbled heat
linen bands ‘round virgin brims
sweat streaming on shades of brown
skin – stompin’ spats, tobacco grins, fat ties,
closed eyes, heads bobbing, hips easy
to the five-eight bloodrush thrum –
of glories and defeats.
***
Mary Pacifico Curtis’ poetry and prose have been published by LOST Magazine, The Rumpus, The Boston Literary Magazine, the Naugatuck River Review, the Pitkin Review, CALYX and The Crab Orchard Review, among others. Her work is also included in the Las Positas Literary Anthology, The Times They Were A’Changin’ and The Widows Handbook.
When not writing, she leads a Silicon Valley life as CEO of Pacifico Inc., a PR and branding firm, and is an angel partner to technology startups. Mary holds an MFA from Goddard College.
