Fancy Coffee - May 10 2023

 

Fancy Coffee

May 10 2023

Back before fancy coffee

it was black

percolated

pocket change.

Or, heaven forbid, instant.

No barista

looking down her nose.

No shade grown

or custom roast.

No connoisseurs

cool cafés

fair trade.

It was mud, dirt, brew,

cup of joe

jitter juice

rocket fuel.

But by whatever name, addictive.

The wonder drug, caffeine

that has us in its thrall,

conscripted

to cultivate

the magic bean.

So a Martian anthropologist, viewing from afar

might very well deduce

that coffee ran the earth;

the dominant species

quietly in charge,

while we

its vassals and underlings

catered to its needs.

And 2nd in command, the dogs

living lives of luxury.

While their human lackeys

feed, groom, indulge

and lovingly cuddle.

And with due deference

walk a few steps behind;

stooping down

to pick-up after them,

steaming bags in hand.

I just needed to see the words “fancy coffee”, and I was off. So clearly, from the get-go, this poem was going to have an amusedly satirical tone.

I'm afraid the ending is bad form: it shouldn’t come out of nowhere like that, without any coherent foreshadowing or call-back. I originally came up with a hastily concocted and rather awkward title to address this: Fancy Coffees and Shaggy Dogs.  But in the end, went for short and sharp. Nothing wrong with something a little unexpected!