"ode to coffee/oda al café" by Urayoán Noel

ode to coffee
          oda al café  
by Urayoán Noel

(after Juan Luis Guerra)

from Africa to a Caribbean hill
            de África a las lomas del Caribe
to the smiling ruin of our cities
            a la feliz ruina de ciudades
anoint the neural vessels we refill
            al matorral neural en donde vive
until your acid muse drowns our pities
            tu agria musa que ahoga soledades
return us to our tribe that grew dark beans
            devuélvenos al semillero isleño
cut through the grease of our late-night omelets
            metaboliza la grasa nocturna
and warm this empty diner by the club
            trae tu calor a nuestro desvelo
where luckless lovers stare at tiny screens
            haz que el amante no muera de sueño
and poets brew old socks into psalmlets
            tu borra es poema que embadurna
while dreaming it rains coffee from above.
            y sombría tu alegría de cielo.





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