TILTED
All was perfect
But I didn’t quite realise
The bounds of perfection
And how quickly they can
Tilt to maximum capacity.
As they tilted, I tilted too.
I tumbled into my tumbler
Of hot coffee
Once sitting beside me
In the library.
Now I tread the murky,
Brown caffeinated water
With a splash of cold milk
So I don’t quite burn
But I’m just a bit too hot.
I am tilting my head upwards,
Watching the other studious
Faces twitch as they tip and tap
Away, elongating their word count
To fit the 5,000-word capacity
Whilst my mind is filled to the
Brim.
Their smiles are brimming too,
A faint touch of the hand,
A reassurance,
A nod to know that
‘We can do this’
The night before
Deadline day.
I forgot it was deadline day
Tomorrow.
Today is a deadening day
And I can’t quite work
Out why I am still treading this
Tepid coffee and not calling
For help.
No one knows I’m in here
I still don’t speak out,
I just keep treading
Like the legs of little cousin Noah
As they are pulled high by
Their wrists and swung about
By Uncle Nick,
Their legs squirming
In search for a platform
Or stability, or grounding.
My clothes are now drenched
In the quickly cooling coffee.
No one checks to see
Whose cup of cold coffee
Has been left unattended
At this library desk
So, of course, no one knows
I am in the coffee either.
I am in the coffee.
HELP!
I AM TRAPPED IN THE COFFEE!
A girl with soft, pink skin
And yellowing under-eye concealer
And bright blue eyes
Covered with feathery auburn hair
Glances over.
She knows I am here.
She has always known.
But now I am making a scene.
She scowls.
Her top lip rises a little
Her eyes tighten
The blue fades to black.
I dip my head
Imaginary tail between
Imaginary legs.
We both know.
It was my fault.
And this cup is a keep cup
That the university advised
To get a cheeky 20p off your
Overpriced Americano
But I didn’t know I would fall
Inside the coffee
And the sides are more slippery
Than the paper ones with ridges.
So, I am stuck in my sustainable
Stainless steel keep cup
And I will tread cold coffee
Until I get a little sleepy
And the caffeine wears off
And I sink to the bottom
Of my stainless steel keep cup
And my weightless, greying body
Lies unevenly against
The coffee granules
Left undissolved.