heng yen ca

on that misty night

in a sudden dizzy rain

i escape to a small entrance inside a narrow street

sitting facing the restaurant exit

to order a cup of heng yen ca

hot, smooth, and everlasting

sweet, with unexpected bitter

striking me to tears

like a twelve-hour flight

later i went to New York

upon arrival i step into a grocery store

grabbed a bottle of almond milk

waiting to reunite with my lost taste

sweet, but no longer bitter

why?

someone told me that

there are two kinds of almond

one is sweet

one is bitter and toxic

in Hong Kong

we mix them

but here

we prefer safety

then, my translation class teacher told me

almond and apricot kernel

shared the same Cantonese

so actually, it’s not almond tea but

apricot kernel tea

somehow

i still prefer to call it

heng yen ca