I rise from my bed, 5am—
from years of routine,
a slow walk to the bathroom,
and I stare into a small square mirror,
the mess of slumber—
my hair, an easy fix.
Like Fred Rogers,
I tell myself, It’s a wonderful day.
Shorts on, dressed in my black
CWU t-shirt, New Balance
shoes, Maui hat,
I open the door,
descend stairs to a rising sun,
a bench swing, still wet
from midnight storms and screams
from the young ladies downstairs.
I pass through the bench swing,
arrive at a bar, and hear—
Buenos dias.
Buenos dias, Please, can I have
a cup of coffee? No cream. no sugar.
I smile at the woman.
Absolutely sir, she says,
and I sit at a table,
facing the swing, listening to music—
birds chirping, roosters crowing,
a breeze in the branches—
and I notice clouds,
blue turns to gray—
just like in Washington State.
Drip drop,
I hear a small drop,
another, and another.
until it is the rapid spill
of pinto beans.
Minutes pass,
me staring at clouds until
I am served black coffee and decide
to walk toward the town
market—two stands open.
Buenos dias señor, a vendor says.
Buenos dias señor. How much
are the bananas?
For you, ten for a dollar,
I placed twenty in a bag.
Are you feeding a family of monkeys?
I laugh. No, I am choosing
to eat them.
The concern vendor watches me,
but I pay for my bananas
and leave the stand.
I return to my spot at the bar.
Drenched, I open the bag
with my delicious bananas.
One by one, I remove them all
and place them on the table.
I open one banana
and eat it completely.
Slowly, with durable hands,
I eat all twenty bananas
and return to my room.
I change into a white Izod
short sleeve button up,
Levi’s jeans, Nike white
calf socks, same New Balance shoes.
This time a straw hat from Havana.
I snatch my bag from my chair
and leave the room to wait—
the same table as before.
Good morning, someone says to me.
Good morning, how are you?
Good, she says, And you?
I glance at the blue sky,
the golden warmth of sun,
hear birds, movement
of leaves in unison with air,
from afar, vehicles honking,
their rapid travel. I smile, respond—
So far, satisfied.
