"First Cumbia" by Tatiana Chaterji

Lake Berryessa, azure at our backs the man from Toluca slips me lozenges from under his tongue Spanish alive in my mouth touches the screen reaching deep lights from his phone plays me my first cumbia: chee chih chih woodsmoke unfurls decomposed flesh dusted bones awakening at his cue turning slight curving threaded magnets loop khee ki-ki khee ki-ki khee ki-ki each scratch of rake pulling me into the earth thrumming his hand at my hip la guira’s song tethered ancient spine’s pulse hungry, touch the heart of before knowing how to fly, certain feathered tz sts sts tz ————————————– Tatiana Chaterji called us from unceded Ohlone land in Oakland, CA. voicemailpoems.org/submit/ facebook.com/voicemailpoems x.com/voicemailpoems bsky.app/profile/voicemailpoems.bsky.social instagram.com/voicemailpoems