My Pride and the Forgotten Coke

Never Ever

Had I envied people who could afford Coke.

Then came the shocking first,

A haunting moment I witnessed my pride's ugly look.

*

I spot you,

A half-full Coke

Left behind by your moron owner.

On an edging bench, you were uncomfortably alone.

*

Oh, my love!

Your wavy body kept my eyes frozen.

As I could do nothing but stared,

A tint of shame rushed up my throat, subtle but defiant!

*

Days had been hard.

Graduate school had been tough.

Money was tight.

Making my pants feel loose as pounds were lost too!

*

Finding a bottle of Coke too much of a luxury,

Sharing it with a soul was utterly uneasy.

In sad silence I kept swallowing that shame,

Hoping it would actually fill my stomach with the weight of self-blame.

*

You, the forgotten Coke,

Suddenly set my heart on fire,

For the first time in my life,

I so wanted to finish another person's leftover!

*

"Shall I pick you up?

Shall I take a sip?"

Hadn't had Coke for a whole semester,

Even one sip of dignity could help ease the inner hunger.

*

Confusingly, a gigantic shadow of shame suddenly loomed over,

Then came the uninvited anger -

"So you people casually forget your unfinished Coke,

While I stand here and have my thirst a thousand years to withhold?"

*

But no, no. I simply couldn't do it.

I surrendered as I shed invisible tears.

Before I let go, I remembered staring at you like for years,

Secretly hoping nobody was reading my mind.

*

Difficult days slowly passed.

Some memory still holds fast.

No longer thirsty for more,

From time to time, I still must look back to heal that sore.