Latte Art
…A double cappuccino to go—
your card is declined for lack
of cash. I pull your shots anyway, and you
shift weight in denim curves, from left
to right, lip whispering Italian,
same as when I rang you yesterday.
Always you order like that, and stir in
the rosetta ‘til it breaks into dashes, like one
of Joyce’s dialogues. Kinch without teeth,
the pattern with no leaves, and the barista
knowing at the end of this, you will shift
from left to right, and stir, and leave
no image topping the tazza, nearest
your lips, where I have endeavored
with some skill to set it. You only stir
a double cappuccino to go…
