One Last Night at Hotel Splendor
A poem inspired by The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos
The Fabulous Mambo King,
Cesar Castillo.
Singing his beautiful boleros.
His machismo enticing women.
All night, every night,
Dancing across the stage.
Swinging his hips to the beats,
The Rumba, the Pachenga,
the Mambo, the Cha Cha Cha.
The Fabulous Mambo King.
Serenading all the ladies.
Miss Vanna Vane on his arm.
Drinks for all on his bill,
Festive songs flowing all night long.
Brother by his side,
With his trumpet playing,
Beautiful Maria of my Soul.
Over and over and over.
The Infamous Mambo King,
Leftover from the old days.
Haunted by ghost of his lost brother.
Memories invading Hotel Splendor,
Recollections of the Mambo U.S.A tour,
Playing on I Love Lucy with Mr. Arnez,
The girls who he wished to have loved.
Luisa, Gloria, Elena, Lydia
Maria, Ana, Margarita, and Delores.
The Infamous Mambo King.
No longer so fabulous.
Loneliness dragging in his bones,
Eating away at his body,
Whiskey eating his brain.
Long gone are the days of the Mambo,
Of the dance halls and fine women.
Old records collect dust forgotten,
While Cesar takes his last drink,
And writes his last words,
Beautiful Maria of my Soul
About the Creator
Alexis M. Collazo
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. An avid reader, writer and multimedia creator. Relocated to Pennsylvania where she is currently focused on writing, crafting and leading workshops online. Visit www.alexismcollazo.com for more info.
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