The Scent of Coffee and Tobacco

For the "Katipuneras"

The scent of freshly brewed coffee reminds me of
Friends sitting around the kitchen table
Late in the morning impassively drinking coffee and
Smoking hand-rolled cigarettes for breakfast.
I am amused by the way they gulp their coffees
In between I’m bored and My life sucks
As if it can chase despair down their throats.
I remember the smell of tobacco wafting through the air
Mingling with the scent of coffee and the air of misery.
Making me feel old and tired beyond my years.
I am bored and my life sucks so I take a long,
Deep drag at my cigarette and very slowly swallow
The smoke down my throat along with my despair.

1997