Starry Nights

Miles Liss | Poetry

When the power returned
we celebrated by plugging in
a radio
My Dominican neighbors
found a station
that played Caribbean salsa

The man skinny, his girlfriend fat

danced together
with phrases and accents

smooth as the lapping waves

She danced with each of us

then walked into her room

and came back
with a pot full of chicken

and rice

our first decent meal

in weeks

We washed it down with rum

passed the bottle around

and laughed
as the music played

and the bodies swayed

all night long

Later, after he’d cheated on her

and beat her
she took the furniture out
and tried to hide it

in my room
That was the beginning of the end

But, oh, those starry nights

when we danced
to the heartbeat of a radio dial

and the sky leaned in
cupping its ear
to hear