Two Cups of Blue Tea
by Afifa Alam Raisa
Runestone, volume 11
My fingers tremble before years,
My clumsy old clock ticks for life,
Yet today I do not loathe my final days,
Not with the cups of blue tea
Or what I see of it through my hazy eyes.
It’s ten past four in the afternoon.
A little late, but I do forgive her;
Old age teaches you that.
She will be here;
There’s still time.
I will wait, and so will my cups of blue beauty.
It’s four-thirty.
No sign of her.
She departs at five;
Half an hour is alright.
An old trunk needs no more, nor does a cup of blue tea;
The final chat shall be brief, let it be.
It’s quarter to five.
Young people are swift;
She can still finish a cup.
I sigh;
Not much time for small talk.
It’s five minutes to five.
Young people are swift, right?
She can still do a sip or two,
And say goodbye.
It’s ten past five.
The engine roars, and off she goes.
No time for farewell.
Not that I am lonely.
I still have company;
Two cups of blue tea, both for me.
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Afifa Alam Raisa
East West University
Afifa Alam Raisa is a senior undergraduate student at East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pursuing a BA in English. She is a freelance book reviewer and the chief editor of Other Words, an international journal of creative writing. Her poems have appeared twice in a leading national English daily. A child at heart, Afifa is obsessed with juvenile literature, and she dreams of becoming a well-loved children’s book author someday.