Dancing with the wolf of Maestranza,
(I'm)
Serendipitous this time amidst the tussles of our war.
Tangled are we in this anti-tango, (our)
Restless heartbeats are in tandem--so confused, contorted; sore.
A flash of red before me is ambrosia, your
Cape is scarlet dalliance (that) I simply can't ignore.
The roars around us become amplified into crescendos, then
Interludes of tension b u t t e r f l y into the toasts of pinot noir.
Oh, opalescent is the rainbow, and
Nuanced (was my) divertissement with your flashy, garnet flor...you feel empathy for me (my fate is painful); you are el campeón--the matador. 💔
*
-Gina C. 🧚♀️✨
*
Author's Note: This poem is classified as a Signature Mini. ☺️
While it's been fun working to expand my vocabulary by learning all of those obscure, grandiloquent French words (that have actually all been adopted by the English language), Spanish is actually my second language. Therefore, for this poem, I stuck to vocabulary that better aligns with my comfort zone--in addition to the theme! ☺️
Here are the definitions of some of the words in here--pulled from my 20+ years of speaking the language (and 9+ years of teaching it!) 😅:
(la) flor (flower)
el campeón (the champion)
(el) matador (this word translates to "bullfighter", though it literally means "killer", as it is stemmed from the Spanish verb "matar"-- meaning "to kill". )
Maestranza (The name of a very famous bullfighting ring in Seville, Spain, second only to Las Ventas of Madrid -- which is quite possibly the most famous bullfighting ring in the world.) Note: the full name of this ring is "Plaza de Toros de Real Maestranza De Caballería De Ronda".
Interesting fact about the way my mind works: I would have preferred (and did try) to use "Las Ventas" instead of "Maestranza" due to the fame of the former. However, I ultimately chose Maestranza for the 4 syllable count instead of the 3. Also, "Maestranza" just sounds cooler. 😎
If you'd like to check out other poems from my Signature Mini collection, try this:
This poem was written for the Dancing with Distraction Challenge. :)
***
Thank you so much for reading! ☺️
I'd be over the moon if we could support each other! I am an active member on the Vocal Discord Server, as well as the Vocal + Assist, Great Incantations, The Vocal Social Society, The Vocal Creators Lounge, and The Medium Writers and Vocal Creators Support Facebook groups. Posting your work there is the best way for me to support you! :) ❤️
About the Creator
Gina C.
Achievements:
- Twice-published in Vocal's Moment of Freedom Collection:
Free-Form poet of ethereal style🧚♀️✨
Fantasy writer
A sucker for a good rhyme☺️
Fueled by a conflicted soul of fire & water
Reader insights
Outstanding
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Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Comments (23)
Great twist on the challenge! Very unique.
Great Stuff 💃🏽💓I love the tango .
Beautiful!
Love it! Your verbal images coupled with your stunning artwork make the whole experience! Love hearing from the bull's perspective!
Another excellent poem! It's hard to describe how much I love your style!
Love the flavour of the variety of word choices you have incorporated throughout your piece & I appreciate your explanations for these at the end. ☺️✍️
Oh I was thinking this was a Gina Petite. But it's a Signature Mini? I'm confused 😅 So now are there 3 categories? Gina Signature, Gina Petite and Signature Mini? Please correct me if I'm wrong 😅 I loved all the aspects of Red in your Acrostic! And yes, Maestranza definitely sounds cooler!
Stories/Poems about bullfighting always make me think of "Requiem for the Masses" Poignant expression of a brutal & cruel sport from the victim's point of view.
Brilliantly beautiful Gina!
This is beautiful!
Wow ! One entry or the other 😋, if you don’t at least place, and possibly win this challenge I will be shocked. 🥰
Excellent as always, Gina - and I love the Spanish flair!
Excellent work some great phrases and love the formatting, image and explanations
This one was tough for me to read. Lots of emotions. And you are just so *good* at painting scenes with words. I had a very powerful 'learning experience' years ago when I went to my first bullfight and learned - in the moment - that they are literal fights to the death. Our """civilization""" (there aren't enough quotes to put around that word) is so needlessly brutal sometimes. It's the needless part that gets me. Life is brutal in many ways, even without our doing anything. Isn't that enough? Why do we still feel the need to add to its brutality? Regardless, this poem is majestic, and violent, and passionate - just like a real bullfight. You did honor to the skill, and honor to the spirit of the fallen. Amazing work, as always, Gina. 💙
This is so stunning, evocative, and brilliantly clever! Gorgeous, Gina!! 💖💓
What a story told through such gorgeous, thoughtful language. I wanted to hug the bull, lol! And your afterwards are just the best. I loved everything about this piece.
Truly beautiful work! Rhymes, rhythm, pacing, diction, simply gorgeous. Love the rhyme in the final verse, but the build up to it was sublime.
You always increase my vocabulary with your work... Grazie! Merci! Segoi! Danke!
I love when a poem makes me look up words! And I found it to be a beautiful clash between a fight and the clamor of new love.
Stunning. Absolutely an emotional visual on every line. You are brilliant! This one is now my favorite!
This is so wonderful! I absolutely love a matador story/poem and from the POV of the bull - amazing!
Wow Gina!! Another AWESOME acrostic!!
brilliantly done