By Ashley Zhou
we sit with folded arms and wonder about eternity.
must be god, you say, convincing;
convinced, i say, and he’s in the coffee.
it’s bitter today; they ran out of sugar.
god wouldn’t make shit coffee, i joke,
ah, the recession’s hit heaven. ah!
the angels are haloed by overhead lighting, ah!
arms sometimes unfold to reach for a sip,
bitter, ah, now cold as well, mh.
heaven is a place on earth, somewhere blasts,
carlisle from tinny cafe speakers.
we disagree respectfully.
las vegas is on earth, not possible!
a woman behind us pipes in.
her chair drags over, it scrapes the tiles.
seats shuffle, arms fold.
heaven’s in the ground, she begins;
words steam over her cup.
you sip from yours and grimace.
i sip from mine and one acrid drop reaches my tongue.
ah, empty. i’ll have another, then.
Featured Image: Lübna Abdullah