outfit post: Mexican Milagros

            Lambent

           (for Lyssa)

           You are the flame that burns

           late nights, ash-wicked

           your grin all flash and glare

           the orange trick of sunsets

           the coral and lipstick vanity

           of a Mexican starlet

           the candies and candles 

           of alms on the altar

           You are the pink of mariachis
           the blush of flamenco
           the heat of cuban cha-cha-chas

           You are the honeyed sweetness of las hermanas,
           with names like Lourdes y Guadelupe
           

           the young ones
           with the velvet skin
           that reek of salt and cinnamon

           the dusky brown girls

           with thick rose-petaled mouths

 

       

            and negrita eyes

            You're the silver jangle,

            the zinc blur of arms and hands

            an orgy of milagros

            flashing and twisting

            in the catatral of candlelight

            amber torches in the night

           The sky here is blue

           blue like you

           ever hopeful and forgetful

           of days dotted with cloud cover

           and the constant threat of rain

           all 9 varieties, from mist

           to the heavy lidded drops

           that explode on your back

           the size and weight of fingers

           You feel like that rain

           silken Kamikaze pilots

           that plummet down

           a chandelier of hope

           swollen with nuclear charm.

Lambent, Bella Q (circa 1994)

Now Wearing: 

• red plaid trilby hat, Target
• vintage malachite/Saint charm necklace
• Anika Burke gold-stone necklace set
• vintage 1960's Cheetah print coat, thrifted
• vintage Santos pin (on coat)
• Izod cotton button-down shirt, freebie
• We Love Colors, fingerless gloves
• Mexican Virgin Mary bracelet, gift
• cotton plaid skirt, Target
• BUTT UGLY Last Supper tapestry bag
• fish net tights
• wool striped socks, J. Crew
• vintage Justin grey leather boots

Perhaps it was watching this wonderful documentary that inspired my rag-tag outfit:  Waste Land.  Lucy Walker directs this 2010 documentary about renowned artist Vik Muniz in one of his most inspired collaborations of his career, joining creative forces with Brazilian catadores -- garbage pickers who mine treasure from the trash heaps of Rio de Janeiro's Jardim Gramacho landfill. In this Oscar-nominated documentary, the catadores prove to be unique and surprising individuals in their own right, waxing philosophic as they impart a valuable lesson about what society discards.

Watch it on Netflix