Poem by Rumbero de New York-Angel Rodriguez

[JConga]

Also chek Angel out at "Sentimiento Manama" site....Angel mi compay Willie "El Ruso" and others used to jam in Mullaly park in the Bronx among other places back in the 70's..."JC" Johnny Conga



"Congeros de Parque"

Congeros de Parque, rumberos, tamboleros, timberos, tumbadores,
Claremont Park
Central Park
Mulllaly Park
Prospect Park
where sentiments were born out of existance,
calamities co-existing with el Guanguanco.
Just for that moment I dismiss everything about me,
I see shapes of hands striking the spirits of animals trapped in tree trunks,
spirits of roots that go deep in time,
born out of the spirit of mother earth...
but the human spirit is the spirit that escapes into seclusion of associations
between individuals that were sadden by grief, sadden by sorrow,
they, us, we, needed those congeros de parque.
Instantaneous happiness coming from rhythms and songs,
songs that are repeated through out the years,
songs of smiles and laughter,
of hips moving by themselevs to the music of those congeros de parque...
songs of sadness, songs of pain, songs of love, songs of grandeur, songs of
fame and fortune, songs of bravery, songs of victory and defeat, songs of
stories passed down, from ear to ear, mouth to mouth, generation to generation,
of colors that expressed the true story of the melting pot of new york city,
america.
Expressions that still live in our hearts today.
Ask yourself, who am I?
Fine out who you really are...
for in the middle of it all there was maliciousness,
the bacheches of all bacheches,
Qiundiambo seso?
show respect, don't make any bets,
use your head, listen, look and learn from everthing that is happening around
you,
hear comes some dancers, listen to the singers, listen to the players,
some are smoking, some are drinking, others are sniffing while packing and
selling commodities for the brain,
because this was the way it was en la avenida, streets and parks owned by the
congeros de parque,
it was an institution for learning,
and for those who don't know,
if it wasn't for them,
life as we knew it would have been extinguished,
and what we loved the most would have disappeared into darkness.
I am a Congero De Parque

[tumbador79]

Great!!