Doce Mel
we were hot and thirsty
so we went into a tiny place to get an agua com gás
the place was called
Doce Mel
the woman who served us was tiny
and she wore a kind of turban hat
before we left we noticed they had
pudim and suco de açai
so we planned to come back after climbing the 1000 steps
when we came back
the tiny woman with the turban hat
greeted us like
long lost old friends
we had pudim
it was the best we’d ever tasted
we had a pitcher of açai juice
oh how we missed açai
we asked her about the other cakes in the display case
when she said, “aipim bolo com coco”
Julie nodded
so she brought us a piece
it was the best we’d ever tasted
I wanted to let her know how happy she’d made us
I wanted to tell her what a special place she made in this world
but we just smiled
and thanked her and left
by Robert Markey
from Poems from Brazil
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doce mel: sweet honey
agua com gás: carbonated water
pudim: pudding
suco de açai: açai juice
aipim bolo com coco: cassava cake with coconut
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