My Poetry & Music

I write because something won’t leave me alone... An idea. A heartbreak remembered. A joy celebrated.

 

Most songs start that way for me. Not with a genre or clever hook in mind but with a feeling that keeps tapping my shoulder. Sometimes it’s loud and ready to jump into its final shape. Sometimes it’s quiet, almost fearful to speak up. Either way, it asks for air. So I open the window and share it with you, most often in the form of a poem.

 

I’ve lived long enough to know that life doesn’t stay in neat lanes. Neither does poetry and music. Some days the truth comes out with sharp, deeply emotional tones, the way EchoBoom the Band  does—gritty, straight to the heart, done pretending. Other days, it needs the rhythm of my beloved Puerto Rico and the Salsa that runs through my veins like Primeras de Julio.  Some poems require the joyful (and sometimes silly) sounds of Venus in July. And when I'm feeling sassy, that's when Leila gets a song. 

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No matter the style or genre, I write because I’m trying to understand people. Myself included— about the things we avoid saying and the things that need to be said. Music lets me say them without asking permission. It lets anger be thoughtful, love be complicated, and reflection still have teeth.

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I write for the version of me that didn’t have the words yet.
For the people who feel too much but don’t always know where to put it.
For moments that deserve to be remembered, and others that need to be let go.

If my music jumps genres, that’s because I do too.
If it carries tension, it’s because growth does.

I write because it’s how I stay positive, generous, grateful, and kind.

I hope it awakens the best in you! 

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JC

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jc@jcquintana.com