The Siren
By Nicholas Alexander Brown-Cáceres
Muse.
Onyx sheen glistening
on the Crown
layered as marble
David personified
Breath / Halted
an unseen force field
grasping without abandon
my spirit and all beings
present
Piel dulce con sabor
a canela cristalizada
glowing as a Mexican fire
Opal
All powerful
gaze of ancestors
Smile that melts gold
Giver of life
Delicate strength
of your baritone voice
summoning the gods to
suspend time
Black translucent
orbs that contain the spark
of creation, energy
of the cosmos, linger
Awakening passion,
Fire.
Fuego.
Sirena.
—
“La Sirena”
—
Musa.
Brillo de ónix
Luminoso en la Corona
capas como mármol
David personificado
Aliento / Detenido
un sentido de fuerza invisible
agarrando sin abandonar
mi espíritu y todos los seres
presentes
Piel dulce con sabor
a canela cristalizada
brillando como un Ópalo
fuego mexicano
Mirada todopoderosa
de los antepasados
Sonrisa que derrite el oro
Dadora de vida
Delicada fuerza
de tu voz de barítono
convocando a los dioses para
suspender el tiempo
Ojos oscuros translúcidos
que contienen la chispa
de la creación, energía
del cosmos, persisten
Despertando pasión,
Fuego.
Fire.
Siren.
Los Muertos Pier, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, México, September 3, 2024, by Nicholas Alexander Brown-Cáceres
Nicholas Alexander Brown-Cáceres is a Honduran-American library executive, musician, and writer based in Mitchellville, Maryland. He has served at the Library of Congress, Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, Washington Performing Arts, Harvard University, and the 215th Army Band. His work has appeared in Popular Music and Public Diplomacy, the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and the Arts, The Horn Book, Collaborative Librarianship, and American Journal of Public Health, among other publications.