it starts with the beans
dried tight in their skin
shaken shaken shaken sluffed
wire mesh grates worked by hand
then the beans are packed
big bags breath potential
poured packed tied tossed
rough burlap grows tall beside
now see the settling that
may occur during shipping
pushed rolled swelled lifted
deep ocean coursing beneath
into hopper shaking beans
down before dreary eyes
filled ground tamped brewed
thin crema rising above
and out the door with a cup
no care taken en route
gulped stopped honked sighed
people all squeezing past
settling in to shake numbers
measuring desired growth
computed cranked graphed paid
soft mesh seats below
flowing back where the leaves
rustle with flowers and breeze
opened buzzed touched caressed
a pregnant season ahead
This was written in a hustle to submit to the Hustle issue of 48hr Magazine. Didn’t make it in. Not too surprising considering some of the names I recognize in the contributor list, but it just kinda happened while I was sitting at Octane working.
Edit: Hey! I have a box! Well, a shipping container. Implicitly. Good enough for me to post this to We Write Poems, right? Write? Wight?
i should dig up my old poem, “Tea Rose,” and polish it off. Coffee is always a worthy subject for poetry.
I like it, and I am sorry it didn’t make it in. The contributor list is tiny compared with what I thought it was going to be.
Thanks! I should keep a version of Bach’s Coffee Cantata handy at all times.
I figured a 50-80 page magazine, so when they announced 1500+ contributions… Fun to write, though.
Great rolling sound in these lines. Kind of like the feeling I get after drinking a nice cup of Joe.
Thanks! On my fourth cup this morning, but these are tiny (aka typical) mugs. I’ve had probably 1.5 of my cups. Necessary when in a room all day with its small windows all blocked.
Oh, I adore that closing line… fabulous.
(and I felt rushed on my way to it… wonderful pacing.)
Nicely done! Love the final stanza and how this goes full circle.