“…Out of the quarrel with ourselves, we make poetry…” ~W.B.Yeats We spoke about the difference between pain and suffering we agreed how pain is part of the natural order it is inevitable it is a given but suffering, that is a human construct it is unnecessary it is a result of a choice along with [...]

I’d rather relish poetry at an open mic in the Valley than get drinks at a trendy bar; I’d rather dance salsa y bachata in East LA than bump bodies in a downtown club; I’d rather support mom & pop shops than sport a flashy label; I’d rather make you a gift than purchase it; [...]

I went out to greet the morning… …and found that she had laid for me, a dew-studded carpet… …She wore the sweet fragrance of lavender and orange-blossoms… …intoxicating my senses as I meandered down a forgotten path. I passed by a well-tended garden, fresh produce at the ready… …and paused inside an enchanted glen to [...]

she found her dance once more! and there she found a piece of her soul was healed a piece of her self returned her dance was there—it was always there— in her heart, but she had lost it for a time for a time there in the dark she had trouble finding it behind the [...]

I was sick outta work on my hands I had time in between all my naps I came up with this rhyme it started with a tickle then my throat got sore so I bought all the Airborne I could find in the store I was sneezin’ and wheezin’ all laid up in my bed [...]

my life is a paradox– a passionate tango of already and not yet I have lived so many lives this young body holds captive an old yet playful soul I have come so far from where I began and yet still have so far to go I have swept up the shattered remnants of my [...]

there is something heavier than lead weighing down my heart lead is the color of this day the color of once bright eyes that sparkled and danced with life lead is the color of the shadow I see in the weary reflection staring back at me the color of being older than my years there [...]

these days life is less without you music my song dancing is less without you my days my thoughts my laughter is less without you my dreams my poetry is less without you hundreds of moments go unshared unknown without you my joy and my sorrow is less I look for you in the faces [...]

You may or may not know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  DV, while not often talked about, is one of the most prevalent forms of violence.  In various settings I have recently inquired about the number of people who have been directly affected in some way by DV and overwhelmingly there was 99% [...]

I am totally, 100%, a bonifide Tia Chucha’s groupie.  If the place had a fan club, I’d run for president; I’d flood the inbox with gushing fan mail; I’d moon about it on my social network status–oh wait, I already do that one.  Well anyway, you get the idea, I just love the place. Why [...]