Portuguese Say Love
My mom was born in Portugal
Under the sunny skies of a Catholic dictatorship
Her dad was a holy roller preacher with a vision of heaven
But a Baptist, so the whole family caught hell
He
Had the strength of his convictions
To get him through the beatings and evictions
She
Had four sisters and two brothers
Who had to share their father’s beefs
And protect her from all others
But there was no protection from pops and all his rules
No dancing
No radios
No music
No way his kids would be the devil’s tools
So when my mom turned eighteen in Waco, Texas
She was in a hurry to leave the nest and find out what she did best
She married a man who looked a lot like me
World War Two came
My dad went off to fight the Japanese
He came back on V-J Day
And on V-J night
I was conceived
Amore
Amore
Amore portugues
Portuguese say love
Today parents hate and fear their kids
When I was in jail
My mom came right down with the love and the bail
It was just a few days for this or for that
Nothing major like a tit for a tat
But I was scared and she was there to meet me
To greet me
To make sure they couldn’t defeat me
Amore
Amore
Amore portugues
Portuguese say love
The bullring in Faro, Portugal
Is filled with people
Its dusty center
Usually the site of bullfights with their death and blood
Now holds a stage
A short blonde woman from Santa Monica
Is talkin’ square biz to ya baby
Teena Marie
Lady Tee
Sapphire
Vanilla Child
Her hair moves with the beat
And the gentle breeze from the Gulf of Cadiz
The show is almost over
The crowd is roaring
What will the encore be?
What can the encore be?
Only one song can end the evening
Only one song can take it even higher
The crowd knows it
Cause they chose it
With their birth, with their very conception
“Portuguese Love”
But the night won’t end just yet
It’s the remix version
Long and loud
Soft and sensuous
The song is raw sex and pure love
Teena’s coming
She’s going
She’s swimming
She’s flowing
The saxophone is in a frenzy
The crowd moves as one
As one plus one equals one
Like no time since Portugal almost won the World Cup in 1966
Finally the band is limp
Like the aftermath of love
A spasm--the saxophone plays the hook:
“Portuguese Say Love”
All is quiet
Another spasm--the piano plays the hook:
“Portuguese Say Love”
Teena Marie is spent
Her white dress soaked in sweat
The bullring returns to its natural state
A life and death struggle for survival
Teena summons her last ounce of strength
And begins to talk in tongues
Singing in her Teena-only Portuguese Spanglish
The drummer drops his sticks
Too heavy, nothing left
The saxophone and the piano embrace
They can go no further
Teena blesses them with a caress
It’s over
I’m so glad my mom created me
Where I could grow up with Teena Marie
Sapphire
Vanilla Child
Our beloved Lady Tee
Amore
Amore
Amore portugues
Portuguese say love
Poem / 2007