Fred Aiken Writing

Tag: coffee

December 27, 2023

veins of espresso

i once tried to slow down,
but the espresso in my veins wouldn’t let me,
and my flesh started to peel back,
a fever settled in,
my hair went gray,
and my vision blurred

November 3, 2023

as i please, caffeine tease

i’ve gotten really into drinking robusta coffee,
not for any particular reason,
or at least, the reason is kinda dumb and i’d rather not go into it,
but if you insist,

i’ve been drinking robusta, rather than arabica,
because everyone crows on and on about how great and wonderful
arabica is and how horrible robusta is,
and i’m a bit of a contrarian,
so i figured i’d drink my caffeine as a please,
no matter the species!

August 20, 2023

GREEN COFFEE DUST

when i signed up to work at a coffee roastery,
no one told me how much dust there would be,
how much green coffee dust would be kicked up in the air,
thick and unavoidable, like pollen clogging up my
nostrils and throat,
coating my glasses to the point where i can barely see
at the end of the work day,
nor did anyone mention how much green coffee smells
like morning dew percolating in the dawn hours
of a pink sky nurturing jasmine flowers and rosey bushes of berries
being carried down the hillside

thrown into an industrial roaster and cooked to a baked aroma
of peppercorns simmering in yeast,
the aroma catches in the back of my throat,
as i wipe my glasses clean, 
so hopefully i can see my way home