Tunô/ Coconut milk (Translation)

she sits legs apart,
in between is the crest of the coconut grinder
she grips the coconut half
over the sink –
the white meat, hard
she turns it over

scraping slowly,
with her tired hands,
the firm meat
scrape
scrape
scraping more
until the sweat trickles
down her breasts
damping her dress

and she keeps on scraping
slowly
slowly
quickly
and slowly
again

when everything is scraped
she squeezes the meat
until the sap gushes out

gently stirring
the coconut milk

until she can only feel the liquid
she tosses out the dried flakes
to a flock of chickens
and spreads the milky fluid
over her hair
it trickles like sweat
down her breasts
down between her legs
where the coconut grinder rests

Translation by Mau Ronquillo