An Honest Cup of Coffee by Ken HarnischCroissant crumbs and coffee cups on the dashboard
Rings in the vinyl, like rings of age
In trees, testifying to the persistence
Of the road, and the quest for a Starbucks
Or even a Greasy Spoon
That can do their coffee right
Seems I have traveled the globe
In search of that perfect cup
Which, mixed with one sugar and two creams
Becomes just another regular in my estimation.
But, the time to sample something exotic,
French Mocha Chocolate or some-such
Is beyond me. It strains my budget for one thing;
And the thought of sipping foam-filled froth
At such expense is troubling
And a little bit absurd.
The interstates blur, the numbers look the same;
All end with some variation on the number 95
They have Popeyes Chicken and Pizza Hut making coffee now,
And even serving Hazelnut. Its enough to make you wonder
If anyone is making an honest cup of coffee anymore.
But I wondered that about love, once, too
When I was on a different kind of road. 11/11/2002 Author's Note: Written after another lovely bout with Eye-95, NYC to Baltimore and back
Posted on 11/11/2002 Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch
Member Comments on this Poem |
Posted by Anne Howe on 11/12/02 at 06:34 AM simple thoughts noted with panache, definitely cream and just a little froth and an ending which wistfully lingers there :) |
Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 11/12/02 at 09:26 PM as a recent traveler on that very road, I see why one could ponder the dissapointment of such a frothy cup and yearn it filled to the honest brim. |
Posted by Charles E Minshall on 11/15/02 at 06:18 AM I had to get up and get a cup before I finished
this one. I think my blood must be fifty percent
coffee. Good poem Ken....Charlie |
Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 11/15/02 at 05:25 PM I hear ya brother. Like the old saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Give me a plain simple cup of Colombian any day! |
Posted by Agnes Eva on 06/02/03 at 05:23 PM haha, yes what is it about the #95 in highway naming... a nice tribute to the cup of joe, a quest for the real, non frilled up basic thing, in love too. nice parallel. |
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