“You have no seasons in that small island of yours,” she
says, with a smile that stinks of nurtured ignorance and mirth-rich malice.
“That’s why you people flee to our lands, searching for more, wanting better,
needing our green springs and the vivid oranges of our falls. So
sad.”
For a fiery moment, her nasty thoughts threaten to shroud my
tongue. But I magic the flames into a knowing grin--I won’t let your rot poison my words--and I speak my truth, instead:
“In my small island, autumn sleeps in the reds of the coffee cherry. We stir it
awake with our fingers, berry by berry, until our baskets are full of warming
cups. We drink October all year long. And so could you. But the taste buds of
your spirit are dead, and you fail to notice. So very sad.”
photo by Ante Samarzija, on Unsplash
- one of my favorite things about October, while growing up in the Dominican Republic, was the beginning of the coffee harvest. Most of my relatives and some hired hands would come home, to my grandmother’s house, and pick coffee beans. The work was exhausting, but the songs, the food, and the company made it wonderful.
- for Poets and Storytellers United--Friday Writings #97: October!
Oh, it does sound wonderful! As a lover of both coffee and a warm climate, I would have been in heaven.
ReplyDeleteYour reply was very dignified and patient (I often struggle managing both wit and grace). I love your description of October in the Dominican Republic. There is so much joy in it and I can almost smell the finished product as I'm reading it.
ReplyDeleteSomething I always wanted to know... what do the fruits smell like? I expect the scent we associate with the beans comes from the roasting process, but is there a hint of that scent in the raw berry?
What a poetic and evocative response! I expect no less from you, of course! Enjoy drinking October all year long!
ReplyDeleteI can almost smell coffee season!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy the month of October.
ReplyDeleteYou have special memories of coffee harvest time.
Sending my good wishes.
All the best Jan
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/
I love these words 'autumn sleeps in the reds of the coffee cherry' and how you stir it awake with your fingers. Love it. I learned something new as well I didn't know about the coffee cherry and that the bean is actually inside the cherry
ReplyDeleteMy dear, you have an innate ability to "magic flames" of discord, ugliness, anger ... all the bad. I love your words today, keep them coming. I am going to back away from blogging and social media for a bit. But, will continue to read every word you gift us.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Helen
hdwoonie23@gmail.com
DeleteBut the taste buds of your spirit are dead,
ReplyDeleteand you fail to notice. So very sad.
Perhaps she can be converted and enjoy just as much. There is a way of wanting to relate to good things in life. Great take, Magaly Ma'am!
Hank
I love this write. The title itself is intriguing and then your eloquent explanation gives me that "A-ha!" moment. I love how it's unflinching in a gentle, almost forgiving way.
ReplyDeleteLots of spunk in this poem :)
ReplyDeleteLove the title, and the poem. Warm with a touch of coffee.
ReplyDelete