by Bessie Flores Zaldívar
When I can’t write, when I can’t put my finger on the meter of a poem, the next plot development of a story, the missing image– I go for a 1:05:48 walk. I mean, I listen to Bad Bunny’s Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana from beginning to end. No skips. No pauses. Reggaeton is an integral part of my writing process, a sacred aspect of my routine. For many reasons: I find in this genre the sounds of what is home for me, it is a love language between me and my siblings, Reggaeton is what I wanna throw it back to, always. But the big, big truth is that the themes in my writing are similar to those Daddy Yankee and Balvin and Anuel and Benito and Myke have been talking about for years. Reggaeton is sweaty bodies, sand-coated feet, cold beer, pride in our pleasure, thirst for our home, a refusal to apologize for our wants. When I can’t lay under the sun of Tegucigalpa listening to the sound of living that I believe in, I listen to Reggaeton. I head home soon, back to Honduras. And here are the top-ten songs I got on repeat:
Pareja del Año – Sebastian Yatra, Myke Towers
Fiel – Los Legendarios, Wisin, Jhay Cortez
Problema – Daddy Yankee
Sal y Perrea – Sech
Antes – Anuel AA, Ozuna
Dakiti – Bad Bunny, Jhay Cortez
Christian Dior – Jhay Cortez
Te Mudaste – Bad Bunny
Sin Ropa – Lunay
Cuenta – Myke Towers
Happy Summer 2021 to you and yours.
The Minnesota Review 