Three Coffee Poems

MACHIATO'S CURSE
Mitz Lanuza, 6/10/05

  I should have known.
  You are Eve,
tempting me with the
poisoned gift of caramel.
I partook of your sweetness
as I would
ambrosia
(with a packetful of
brown sugar, of course),
savoring your heat with
my aroused tongue,
every nuance licked with
abandon.
  And, like a good lover,
you've kept me awake 'til
5 am.

(posted with Pinoy Poets 17 June 2005)

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Espresso at Midnight
andoy castellano, 20 June 2005

Italians would drink espresso
first thing in the morning
and as morning becomes afternoon becomes evening
they'd drink with coffee
weaker and more tepid
sometimes chewing a coffee bean to follow
garlic-heavy pasta

I wait for you at this cafe
with my third espresso
nervous that I am
waiting to meet you
at two when you leave work
and come with me behind closed doors
 
(posted with Pinoy Poets 20 June 2005)

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Caffe Latte
Anne Stephanie Cruz, 23 June 2005

We are all given the ingredients of happiness, but the mixing is left
to ourselves. – Ethel M. Dell

Standing hand in hand
you turn to me as the barista asked
what will it be?
Venti Latte, as always,
was my warm reply.

Your eyes probed mine in question,
espresso brown fingers
swirling over my milky white ones
Why not  plain café au lait?
you ask, 
saying that's all latte is anyway.

To you,
who sees coffee as just beverage
that may be so.
But that's not how I taste it.

Unsparing lovers prefer latte over anything else.

You see I am milk, 
and you the rich brew
I must constantly empty myself into-
the single shot of espresso
forever waiting for me
to fill the entire cup.

We are latte,
café au lait is half and half.


(posted with Pinoy Poets 23 June 2005)

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Mitz Lanuza posted her poem with the Pinoy Poets group and instead of a critique, I posted the espresso poem.  Afterwards, Steph answered with her own poem.


--andoy
28 June 2005