Coffee Alone

昨天无意间，在网上搜到下面关于咖啡与人生的诗，很喜欢。习惯是一种生活方式。习惯是一种力量。习惯是没有他在身边。所以，习惯是很难改变的。特别是如果与你朝夕相处几十年的另一半突然从你生活中消失。虽然我还没结婚，也没他在一边让我习惯有他的生活。但挺能理解Thomas 的心情。是因为coffee？因为...？ 我不知道，也不想知道。

至于Hurricane 经历过几次，但对我只是几天的停课而已。过后，什么都忘了。并且今天，还可以喝着我最喜欢的咖啡，看白云，和朋友去远足。而此刻的Tom 是否也在喝一杯浓浓的black coffee！

An older woman reflects on her life after a hurricane takes her husband.

Coffee, alone

Black, no sugar.
Her life in a cup.
Her laugh, a rasping
Cough in a napkin.
She drinks her
Coffee, alone.

For 40 years
She loved one man.
Just the two of them
No kids, no pets,
Ideal tenants
For the 9th ward.

He never looked
At another woman.
He wasn’t looking
When this one came.

The coffee was ready
He was in the shed
Doing God knows what
When She came along.

A low roar, a sucking sound
Then a grinding crash
Splintered the ancient shed
And left him, dead.

She ran outside
And called His name.
A pile of bricks and cypress planks
Was now his tomb.

Her life was saved
By this act alone
As the hurricane
Now destroyed her home.

She walked through the streets
In a cotton dress
A ghost in a daze
No place to rest.

They took her to the Center
She was lost in the crowd
But she kept her peace
She was raised to be proud.

The weeks went by
Her man was not found
She could not return to empty ground.
At last the day came

When she could go back
A mixed blessing for sure
Her house was a wreck.

But she moved back
To her home without lights or water
It was still hers
And that was what matters.

She drinks coffee, alone
And prays for a sign
That she made the right move
And all will be fine.

This week she got power
And water for her plants
She can still watch TV
And hope that, by chance…

They will not destroy
The only home that she knew
She’s alone but she’ll fight
That’s what he would do, too.

Tom Crowley New Orleans 3/07/06