Coffee, Medium Double
by Daphne Alexopoulou
Coffee grains swirl around the cup
and up the sides patterns are forming.
Now we wait, we have to do it right.
Mysterious runes, my future
and my past, marks of joy,
patterns read and deciphered every morning,
here and everywhere,
in coffee shops and homes.
In my hands I hold trust and reality,
hope and glory. You read the grains,
nothing much ever changes. How would it?
I used to pester you when I was younger,
love’s outcome being the goal.
Nowadays I keep myself to myself.
Some stories are made to be shared,
others are better off sent on their way.
I have learnt that life moves
in all sorts of paces. Right now
it’s slow and ponderous for me.
I am the one who makes the moves,
concedes the rights and wrongs,
my own fortune teller,
I’m not blinded by youth anymore,
I know that what I feel, is what wins the day
in the end. My dreams surface
occasionally, my preferred reality
is here to stay. Sunshine outside,
shadows inside. Taking a rest,
or just holding space?
Beauty and boredom, mundane chores
and joy are jostling for my attention.
Another day, where I haven’t quite added up
to my expectations and I don’t really care.
A little push here, a little push there,
small victories. Another day,
( another coffee ) is on its way.

Author’s note—
Greek coffee is ground coarse, so people, usually women, use the sludge at the bottom to tell fortunes. You coat the sides of the cup by swirling is around and turn it upside down on the saucer. My preferred coffee is medium double. Two scoops of coffee, two sugars. The only coffee I take with sugar.