Moonlight Serenade

I would like to be
A reggae song
With you
An evening breeze
Saturated with rum
Molasses and sugar cane
Wrapped in salt water
And fresh fish
With the bronze glaze
Of the evening sun
Bowing down to a bonfire
Spitting out praise
To the pale moonlight
And the grace of
Long island skirts
Swaying to a caribbean rhythm
In the embrace of
West Indian courtship
Mingled with red beans
Simmering in a big pot
Next to steaming brown rice
As bare feet revel in the
Coolness of a bare floor
And love is not enough
Passion is an art
Like Picasso or Coltrane
Or your chest on my cheek
Every night between
Florida and Venezuela
Texas and Africa
Ashy black fingers
Rolling fonta leaf
And blazing fire
Headwraps loosed after the day is done
Hair uncurling around love's fingers
And down sensuality's spine
Love made to incense and calypso
Wafting on trade winds
Mingled with leftover spices
And town drunks
With every window open
The air is heavy with the passion
Of women and their men
In the shadowy corners of
An island paradise
Swaying to the beat of
Hands on drums
And sweet words from the lips
Of pursuers
Searching for company
To ease the night away
Waiting on another sunny day
To brighten shadows
And warm up the shade
Barefoot songs sing
From tile floors
Where somewhere
You and I
Will always be dancing
In the sway
Of an island romance
Hiding from prying eyes
In the intricate folds
Of a reggae ballad
Whispered into an ocean breeze
Under the pale moonlight

by Empress Nzingha

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