Bernadette Villanueva Neri (translated by Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz)
For Lena, it is better to drink from a losa washed by hand, not with a sponge. So as usual, she swipes her fingers on the laundry soap bar after wetting the cup marked by the coffee from her lips. Slowly she slides her long fingers into the hollow while her thumb massages its lip. In circles. Until the lip-on-lip marks fade. Slowly her fingers search the stains in the crevices, corners, and depths of the sartin, careful not to scratch it with her nails. After, she slides her fingers in and out until she feels her desired smoothness. Her eyes close; she is tickled by the cold water from the clay jar as she rinses the cup.
She places the losa on a rag on the counter. She watches the water drip slowly on its shiny body, smiling
