by Bessy Reyna<\/p>\n
“Watch me!” I Tell Rob,
\nthe lovely dark-haired friend
\nwho has joined me for lunch
\n“Watch me, I’ll have to pretend
\nI don’t know that the coffee is a gift from him.”<\/p>\n
We dance the tango<\/p>\n
Ricardo, the Argentinian man,
\nis so happy to see me.
\nIt’s been so long since I had lunch
\nat this small place
\nhidden on the second floor of an old building<\/p>\n
Rob and I sit by the window
\ntalking about books and watching
\nthe people below us
\nas they stroll on Pratt Street.<\/p>\n
Ricardo whispers to me in a voice we dance the tango<\/p>\n “Watch me” I say to Rob, The proper behavior A native language coming back At lunch, we danced the tango.<\/p>\n I say goodbye to Rob, Around the corner Of course, he does not want a cup of coffee Previously published in <\/em>She Remembers by Bessy Reyna, Andrew Mountain Press. 1997.<\/em><\/p>\n A Cup of Coffee by Bessy Reyna “Watch me!” I Tell Rob, the lovely dark-haired friend who has joined me for lunch “Watch me, I’ll have to pretend I don’t know that the coffee is a gift from him.” We dance the tango Ricardo, the Argentinian man, is so happy to see me. It’s been … Continue reading A Cup of Coffee<\/span>
\nwith the cadence of the pampas,
\n\u00bfQuer\u00e9s un caf\u00e9?<\/em>\u00a0 Do you want a cup of coffee?
\nI know I shouldn’t
\nit would be one too-many for the day,
\nbut I can taste the offer
\nthe I-want-to-give-you-something
\nbecause-I-am-so-happy-to-see-you!
\nbursting behind the smile<\/p>\n
\nI now have to pretend
\nthat I want to pay for the coffee
\nand he will refuse to take the money.<\/p>\n
\nthe warmth, generosity,
\nthe nostalgia that engulfs me now
\nIn how many restaurants can you get free coffee
\njust because the owner is happy to see you?<\/p>\n
\nto rescue me
\ntransforming me
\ntransporting me<\/p>\n
\nturn and give Ricardo gracias por el caf\u00e9<\/em>
\nbefore I descend the narrow wooden stairs
\nthat return me to
\nanother culture my brave new world.<\/p>\n
\na homeless man awaits
\n“Can I have a dime for a cup of coffee?” he asks
\nHis voice startles me,
\nI smile
\n“Come with me and I’ll buy you a coffee”
\nI tell him, pointing at the
\n“COFFEE AND PASTRIES” sign a few feet away
\n“No! Not from there”\u00a0 he shouts annoyed
\n“From Dunkin Donuts!!”<\/p>\n
\nI place some quarters in his extended hand
\nand walk away smiling
\ndancing the tango
\nhaving paid for my coffee after all.<\/p>\nUsed by permission of the author.<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"