To grab a cup of coffee

Walking away from the blinding lights of the city,

I step among the metal bars of the bridge.

As the shiny vehicles speed past me,

All I want is, to grab a cup of coffee.

On a day like this, five years back,

I watched with my teenage eyes,

As she jumped into the cold waters below,

While the warmth of her palm was still imprinted in my hand.

Now, as I walk along the too familiar path,

the memories come flooding into my thoughts.

And then I see his pale face staring below,

I can almost read his thoughts, the pain, the ignorance.

A heart so shallow and impulsive,

my thoughts fly to his family back at home.

I reach out to touch his rigid shoulders,

As he turns around and my eyes meet his bleary gaze,

All I manage to ask is, “Want to grab a cup of coffee?”

He rewards me back with a tight lipped smile and a slight nod.

And as we walk to the café across the bridge,

I repeat the lines I recall every year on this day,

“Life is a cup of coffee you know. It is bitter, but if you want to taste it, we can always add more sugar”.

“What if I don’t have any sugar left?” He asks,

I smile and reply, “you can always ask someone else, you are never alone”.

Penned by : Rtr. Sakuni Kodithuwakku (Second year student of Faculty of Law, University of Colombo )