Joe Cuba? No, coo-ba.
Escucha mi, tía.
Conguero, play salsa,
go boogaloo, chica.

I’ll never go back to
Eleventh and Twilight,
to Mets games and Rheingold,
mofongo and malta,

to dominoes slapping
on formica tables,
out there on the sidewalk,
outside the bodegas.

Dance dance little sister
dance little sister dance
encantadora dance.

Spray me in the summer,
cool by the johnny pump.
Who needs a swimming pool
when Papo’s got a wrench?

I’ll never go back to
Eleventh and Twilight,
but I’m here under sheets
with you little sister,
now encantadora.

Dance little dance sister
sister little dance dance
dance!

Feel it swell now big finish, the entire horn section stands up and shouts,
“Look out ol’ coo-ba’s back!”
(stuttering, sputtering drumroll and out. POW!)
“Thank you.  Goodnight Nuyoricans, goodnight.”

© Carlos Chagall, 2013