For me (and possibly only me!), coffee is a metaphor for change. We all tend to resist change initially but eventually it happens anyway. At that point we can adapt and embrace it or we can cling to our old ideas and opinions. Growing up, coffee was my Kryptonite (aka Superman’s ‘Achilles Heel’). I quite literally couldn’t be in the same room as a cup of coffee and this caused my family much embarrassment in cafes and hotels. However, over time my tastes changed. I grew to be able to bear it, then to actually taste it and eventually to love it.
Now I can’t do without the smell and taste of it; its rich smoothness and warmth. In fact, I’m going to go and make a cup now. So the message of this poem is simple. Change will happen. Notice when you’re resisting it, smell the coffee and embrace the opportunities that change will bring.
The coffee is brewing so wake up and smell it,
Your story will turn out the way that you tell it.
The longer you sit, the less you can move
Because it’s easy to change but so hard to improve
I sit alone in the hotel,
I won’t go down to greet the smell
Of fresh ground coffee down below
I’m hungry but I will not go
To me that smell is nausea
A bitter charcoal fang
Burnt blood pooled in cursed pots
The harsh insipid tang
Drives me away and out of sight
Fresh coffee is my Kryptonite
Dramatic pause for 30 years
Of growing up and drinking beers
Chasing girls, playing guitars,
Getting jobs and driving cars
Getting married kids in tow
On our travels off we go, what a ride
I feel so glad for this dramatic pause I’ve had
I sit with you in the hotel
We go downstairs to greet the smell of
Fresh ground coffee down below
I take the pot
I let it flow
To me that smell is moonlight
A bittersweet caress
The warming touch of roving lips
A call to acquiesce
To pull you near
To hold you tight
Fresh coffee is my true delight
So easy to change
but so hard to improve
You sit for so long
You forget how to move
Your story will turn out the way that you tell it
The coffee is brewing so wake up and smell it
