Memories of Miguel (from in a coconut shell)
Diana Gitesha Hernandez
Diana Gitesha Hernandez recorded audio narration on July 17, 2022, at her East Village apartment in New York City.
“I've built this place to pay my dues to the real world.” —Miguel Algarín
Miguel.
Brother <mutter-farther> undeniable (child-dd) light that illumines
You taught me unbearable truths that
localized in the realm of the Loco-Heart
That recalls from within that which clings
and gives wing to burnt and burning embers
When we met you torched (beams)
outta my repose, excavating 'ricanness to beckon
bold, from in a coconut shell to glow radiant as snow
to touch, to be, poetry causing ceiling's rise,
embracing body eye to eye
Unbridled “Ugly Beauty” yes, let's have another
lance, penetrate, word, harden Mango salsa-FY ---- ¡pero qué qué!
¡Pa eso te te te puya!
Because you and I loved him, I forgave your jealous sword
As he would bestow upon me affections
stolen from you, or so you'd thought
wanting every-last-thing and what's more
not past tense but present you remain
“Gather all forms of honey extracted from the backbones of the golden misterioso”
Azuca-Te! [matchpoint]
Being all that--- Your Nuyoricanness!
Macho erector, queen & bee, propeller of poets and magnet to the (K)night/s\ssssss
Burning Bright! Yet life has a way all its own
Time's bittersweet
and memories are often best
not masticated, but ingested
and taken into one's spirit whole
as sweat and spit and dreams allow
us to be made
a union of.
Little tiger-butterfly bard whisked in butterscotch – I sing your sweet refrain ...
Lalalalalale! LaLaLa La-eee!
Miguel.
Diana Gitesha Hernandez, aka Gitesha is a NYC multimedia poet, spoken word artist, jazz singer, and drum percussionist who often weaves music with her words. She is the author of several collections of poetry, most notably Raw Lips Melao, a Nuyorican Rhapsody. Her poetry has been published in literary magazines and anthologies throughout the world, among them the award winning Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Her CD published by Muse Records entitled Imbued (2014) fuses together jazz standards with her original poetry. She is actively performing with three different bands: Gitesha's Jazz Boogaloo (Latin), Orgasmic Orchestra (word distillery), and Soulful Distancing (jazz). Additionally she is a visual artist (painter/printmaker/ceramicist) whose work can be viewed at her website http://www.gitesha.com. Hernandez holds a BA from SUNY (Empire State) in Jazz Performance and Painting, Bilingual MS in School Counseling, and LMT from the Swedish Massage Institute.