On Coffee

I wrote this a long time ago during a poetry convention in Ontario; I ran into it recently in one of my old notebooks. I've included the "inspired by" credit because it was written just above the first stanza on the page, but I don't exactly remember "Passage" and it's entirely possible that note may have been meant for another poem. Who knows? Also, please don't mistake- - I have never had a sip of coffee in my life. This was an exercise to write descriptive fiction about an alternate life experience; to write a poem or story I often create an entirely alternate self and write from their perspective. This alternate self just happened to be a super-caffeinated office worker.



Inspired by "Passage" by Don Fisher Campbell


The cup of coffee in the morning
black poison but I like it.
stolen time from black beans ground
changed by cream and sugar to molasses
slides down my throat to coat the insides
a little soot to scrape out later
its hidden fire blazes in my eyes
for a moment
until all the work is done
except for the cold ash in
the hearth of my soul
(which I'll sweep out later)
left feeling down
but tired eyes sleepless
this time two cups
and a bit more sugar
might be enough to
get me out of my chair
keep me warm until the next
Grail of Borrowed Life
in the morning