I Still Taste You in My Coffee

A cycle of poems «You Taught My Hands How to Pray on Your Body»

Steam curls like your hair in the morning light,
The cup warms my hands, but not half as tight
As you held me once - so close, so near.
Now silence sips slow, and I still taste you here.

I stir in no sugar, though I used to take three,
You said, "Life’s too short for things bitter and free."
But sweetness feels wrong since you walked through that door -
Now every sip burns like never before.

I still taste you in my coffee, warm and deep,
Like secrets we whispered while the world was asleep.
Your laugh in the aroma, your touch in the steam -
One swallow and I’m drowning in a dream.

We shared this old mug on a chipped kitchen table,
Split bills and bad jokes, love slow and stable.
You always stole sips when I looked away -
Smiled with my ring around your lips like a stray.
Now it’s just me and the dawn’s pale glow…
And a ghost in my cup I can’t let go.

I stir in no sugar, though I used to take three,
You said, "Life’s too short for things bitter and free."
But sweetness feels wrong since you walked through that door -
Now every sip burns like never before.

I still taste you in my coffee, warm and deep,
Like secrets we whispered while the world was asleep.
Your laugh in the aroma, your touch in the steam -
One swallow and I’m drowning in a dream.

I passed by your favorite caf; downtown,
Saw someone wear your scarf without a frown.
I almost called you - my thumb hovered long -
But pride poured out like an overbrewed song.
Now I drink alone while the radio cries…
Some love song about paradise lost and goodbyes.

Maybe one day, the flavor will fade,
The memory dulled, the heart unbetrayed.
But until then, I’ll keep brewing the past -
One cup at a time, hoping it won’t last…
Because letting go means forgetting your name -
And I’d rather ache than live life the same.

So here’s to the mornings I pretend you're near,
To the steam that remembers the taste of your tears.
Though you’re gone, in this ritual I belong -
I still taste you in my coffee… all day long.