A whole piece of cake

In exchange to a slice of your head,

Fed you with excessive sweetness

And made me famish for your entire mind.


I recall the nights

Of your faraway look almost imperceptible,

The riddle of your smile

And your tales of departure.

With nicotine on your lips

And caffeine on mine,

I was the silent listener

Of your careless narrative.


Such brief moments harbored inside me,

When like your furtive grin

And sly glances, ensnared my thoughts

Craving more from fragments of your soul.


As time made its scarcity known

And fondness its urgent manifestation,

The sugar note and saccharine gift

Snatched you completely away from me.


Today in coffee city

Alone or with company,

I relive a fraction of yesterday

Out of the same blend of coffee

And from the small portion of the same cake flavor.


Smoke from cigars fills the air

Like wispy apparition of yours

I make out on every stranger’s face

Across the other tables.

A sip of coffee and a bit of cake

Serve as reminders if not comfort

Of how little you cared to say goodbye,

Leaving a bittersweet aftertaste.


I stir this cup

Divining the future,

And all I see is my self.

Over the counter today and tomorrow

My Italian tongue says, “Tiramisu.”

As my English heart whispers, “Pick me up.”


Maybe then as liquids turn

And as circles run.

I will find my own reflection

In your staring eyes.