Junky
To decaf
or not to decaf
That
is the question
Whether tis nobler
in the mind
to suffer the slings and arrows
of outrageous headache
from
cold turkey caffeine withdrawal
or succumb
to the sweet siren scent
of a second cup
I am a poet
or, so they sometimes tell me
and have grown accustomed to
working for beans
from Columbia or Kenya
roasted, ground and brewed
to speed through my impatient veins
Lab-coated clinicians tell me
it's only a caffeine delivery system
but how does that help me
when there's a Starbuck's
on every corner
desperate to feed my desperate hunger
and I sometimes slip into a humbled mantra of
"Our Father who art in
Columbia"
and look for proof that
Juan Valdez
is not just a myth of marketing
or the cause of my descent
but the second coming
heaven sent
to search hill and valley
for that heavenly scent
of perfect blend
of beans
for the faithful
Oh diner waitress
angel of mercy
fifteen percent
is not enough
to express appreciation
for your bottomless
second cup
For my name is Tony G
and I am
a coffeeholic
© 1995 by Tony Gruenewald, all rights reserved
Tony Gruenewald is an advertising
copywriter who makes constructive
use of his caffeine addiction, neurosis,
and receding hairline by performing his
wry, witty and brutally honest poetry to
appreciative poetry groupies all over
the state of New Jersey. Tony lives in
Edison, home of the light bulb, with his
equally neurotic cat, Bubba Ann.
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