Erotica Sweet
For Oscar—There are no words
When I think of you babe,
a soft snow falls lightly
down my back
turning into steam
on my full brown thighs.
An ocean appears
threatening to dash me
against the hot sand,
spinning me helplessly
into the mouth
of a hungry sky.
Cocaine and weed
envy the high you give me
unable to re-create
the intensity of the world
you conjure up with a snap
of a smile.
When you’re on my mind,
I bubble and boil
cooking like thick salsa
spicing up the air around me.
I breathe a music Mick Jagger
can only dream about,
dancing to an ancient rhythm
born in the depths
of my womb—yeah!
When you’re on my mind,
I lay back and close my eyes,
dragging in the rich thick smoke of our loving—
spinning and whirling
stoned on the thought
of you Babe.
Notes:
“Erotica Sweet” was first published in It’s Not About Dreams (Erato/Poetry, 2014). It is reprinted with permission of Kayla González Huertas.
This poem is part of the portfolio “Salima Rivera: A Chicago Rican Poet.” You can read the rest of the portfolio in the March 2024 issue.
Source: Poetry (March 2024)