Like a Glass of Coffee
Camille Bustos Bismonte

like a glass of coffee

we, too, were fragile

measuring our lives

with coffee spoons


upon noticing the cold

that began to settle

our clammy hands

clumsily held our glass


hoping the warmth,

would somehow, someway

help us close the chasm

between our seats


your order, a black coffee

I could see into it forever,

drown in its bitterness, too

and oh— the coffee


would gargle in a sickening way

the table would melt

into the floor

and then


the coffee,

like a swirling black hole,

of empty promises, empty words

a bubbling cauldron


of a conglomeration

of the ways you had let

me

             drown


until there was nothing

but the cold,

                                        no, hot,

angry nothingness


but your words,

they were sweet

and the rumbling

at last, would retreat


into the sound

of the grinding of the beans

and the consistency of it all

was comforting


as we met over our empty cups

late into the night,

I came to the realization:

I might need one glass more


—


seperti segelas kopi,

kita, jiga, rapuh

kita mengukur hidup kita

dengan sendok kopi


setelah memperhatikan hawa dingin

yang mulai mereda

tangan kita yang keruh

dengan kikuk memegang


kita berharap kehangatan

entah bagaimana, entah bagaimana,

akan bantu kita menutup jurang

antara kursi kita


pesananmu, kopi hitam,

aku bisa melihat selamanya,

tenggelam dalam kepahitannya juga

dan oalah, kopinya


akan berkumur dengan cara yang memuakkan

meja akan mencair

ke lantai

dan, kemudian


kopi

seperti lubang hitam yang berputar-putar

janji-janji kosong, kata-kata kosong,

sebuah kuali bergelembung


konglomerasi

cara kau membiarkan

aku

             tenggelam


sampai tidak ada yang lain

selain dingin

                                        nggak, panas

ketiadaan marah


tapi kata-katamu,

itu manis

dan gemuruh

akhirnya, akan mundur


ke dalam suara

dari penggilingan biji kopi

dan konsistensi dari itu semua

sangat menghibur


saat kita bertemu

di cangkir kosong kita,

sampai larut malam,

aku menyadari:


aku mungkin perlu segelas lagi