Dulciluna: A Poem on Barrio Life, Passion & the Scarlet Moon

Dulciluna

 What is that scarlet moon looking at?

                 Down below

                               the vast sprawl,

                  the accursed streets

                               of my neighborhood 

                  with the roaming packs of hungry dogs

                               fighting over a dead rat

                  And around the corner,

                               by the railroad tracks,

                  ése—

                               a parade of chachas locas in stilettos

                  on the way

                               to a reventón, 

Los Tigres del Norte, no less

                        ésa,

                               come join us,

                  don’t let the gaze of that moon

                               bother you,

                  she is there

                               for the sake of the poets of San Pedro,

                  downways from here,

                               kitty-corner to Motel 69,

                  where you’ll hear

                               in the far distance

                                           Chalino singing—

                               “Y a la fábrica vino la chota

                                   y se las llevaron todas

                                       a las señoras” 

 they took our moms from the factory in the middle of the day, señor

                                moon

                                moon

                                scarlet moon

                           luna

                                     luna

                                           luna escarlata, ojos azules, 

      

                                                                       cara morena

                                                   come down here,

                               luna de plata

                  I would like to kiss

                               your injected lips

                  until I draw blood, sangre de mi sangre,

      until it spills like a torrent all over

                         this forsaken barrio

                  so we all can get drunk on it

                               and raise hell, 

 

                                 luna,

                  luna que me estás mirando, luna que me estás matando,

                               luna loca,

luna, lunera, lunita cascabelera,

los ojos azules, la cara morena

 por favor que te bese el que más te quiera!

                  come kiss me, lunita de mi alma,

                                I love you 

                            

                      hasta siempre

                               my beloved

                                   Dulciluna!