Her Name on the Coffee Cup

M-Y-A, crooked in black
One vowel missing
Her name on the coffee cup

Tuesday morning, corner café
I only stopped to miss the train
Steam on glass and wet coat sleeves
Blue claim ticket by the change
The barista called out"Maya"
The cup said"Mya" in black
One vowel gone, one old nerve waking
I laughed once, then it all came back

I almost left it by the bin
Memory had other plans again

Her name on the coffee cup
Wrong name, but the right ache
The barista dropped one letter
My whole chest kept the mistake

Should've left it by the napkins
Her name on the coffee cup

I carried it down Mercer Street
Warm against my winter hand
The sleeve went soft, the ink kept bleeding
Past the tulips in their stands
Your contact waited in my palm
My thumb stayed still above the letters
A bus door sighed, a cyclist rang
I let the weather blur the rest

Her name on the coffee cup
Wrong name, but the right ache
The barista dropped one letter
My whole chest kept the mistake

I miss the boring version most
Your keys beneath the chair
The sock you dried above the heater
Cheap shampoo in your hair
Not the ending, just you laughing
When you stole the foam from my first sip

Her name on the coffee cup (wrong name)
Wrong name, but the right ache (right ache)
The barista dropped one letter
My whole chest kept the mistake