A conch shell calls to celebrate
By Barry Vitcov
The trumpet-like call of the conch shell ushers in the colorful and dynamic Ballet Folklorico Ritmo Allegre, a Medford-based local folk dance troupe dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of traditional Mexican folk dance. Peter Yeager’s poem captures the experience of the pulsating rhythms and sounds when he attended one of their performances.
Ballet Folklorico Ritmo Allegre Does Danza Azteca at a
Choral Performance of an Aztec Mass
By Peter Yeager
The lad stood profiled
stage right between us,
the formally dressed singers
and the hushed audience
in the darkened auditorium.
His sculpted brown body
mostly exposed, draped in chest piece
and loin skirt shimmering gold
layered like fish scales,
proud in crested helmet,
the lad with regal bearing stood,
gripped skin-tipped sticks
drove hollow rhythms
on a colorful conga drum
summoning dancers heralded by
the mournful trumpet cry
of conch from the other side
of the stage the dancers emerged
rattling seed-filled gourd maracas
and shelled anklets:
syncopated feet lifting,
bodies turning twisting,
circling they prayed
to the gods of the winds
of the four directions,
centering on the conch
and sculpted chalice,
pacing in ecstasy;
then stopped and bowed religiously
at the command of the drum.
Had ancient Aztecs entered the hall
they’d have thought it strange:
the full array of colors patterned
on satins, face-painted ladies,
peacock-feathered head dresses
bobbing in ceremonial dance, yes.
But indoors on smooth floors
raised stage without fire,
before rows of white faces,
still, somber, seated as judges,
all in black and white?
Peter E. Yeager lives in Jacksonville, Oregon, with his wife and two Jack Russell terriers. He has two daughters and three grandchildren. A New Jersey native, Peter holds degrees in English and law from Rutgers. Peter has worked for government, non-profits, and lawyers in New Jersey, Nebraska, Vermont, and Oregon. In 1991-92, he house-husbanded and home-schooled in Hungary. He loves choral singing. In 2022, he published “Searching for Sanctuary: The Journey Home,” Poems 1975-2022.
Poetry Submissions Welcomed!
You are invited to submit original work to the Poetry Corner. There is only one restriction: Poems ought to show a connection to Ashland and/or Southern Oregon. Your interpretation of that connection is fairly loose and mine is probably even looser! Be sure to include the title of your poem, your name as you would like it to appear, the city or town in which you reside, and, if you wish, your preferred pronouns. Finally, please submit a bio statement of less than 150 words written in the third-person.
To submit poems, send to Barry Vitcov at [email protected].
