As Promised...

My mini-project about caphe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee with sweet and condensed milk)

Vietnamese key: sua = sweet and condensed milk; duong = street


Liquid Gold

my saunter turns to a crawl
the oppressive hand of Sai Gon's heat
forces me closer to dirty pavement

migration to streets promising shade
freckles rush to guard
translucent Irish skin

fall onto closest blue plastic stool
tables fit for toddler tea parties
and grown Vietnamese men
on their lunch break

shady tarp roof
blue and white stripes
shadows of leaves add to pattern

the glorious "tink!" as ice, spoon, and glass
conduct their daily meeting
liquid gold burrows through ice
that still grasps gravel
dragged down the duong at daybreak

sua dredged, mined from the depths
roused from its sticky resting place
to join the symphony
that reaches its peak
as the tide rises onto my spoon
and alights on my tastebuds
staining all but a porcelain tooth