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Poetry | February 2016

Cold Coffee

By Ashleigh Brown

A woman drinks cold coffee because
        the daily prayers of tangled laundry and crumpled homework are
                       sacred.
Her cup sits there
        marooned on the counter,
        the overpopulated desk,
        the afterthought of a window ledge
Aroma waning, steam dissolved,
A price for the golden offering of
        children,
                       with eyes at half mast,
                       executing whispered mantras meant to tempt them from their beds
                       scrounging patience for a rogue sock in the pantry
                       hurrying the traditions of “be careful” and “don’t be late”
In the dregs of the evening rituals, she surrenders
Emptying the mug, the last hope of a hot cup of joe
Spiralling
Down the drain,
        mingling with the sludge of dishwater and toast crumbs.

 

 

Tagged: Events

2 replies on “Cold Coffee”

greenwomanwatertreesays:
February 17, 2016 at 11:32 am

As a drinker of cold coffee and mother of five I love every cup I have ever poured away.
(I actually like my java on the cool-side)
Kudos to you!
Look forward to your next poem

Reply
Cassiesays:
February 24, 2016 at 6:05 am

This is beautiful. Reading your poem pulled me out of my own messy world this morning and into the sacred. Thank you for sharing it. (Loved the part in your bio about being best known for your work in 4th grade! Hilarious!)

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