Strong Coffee by Anne Higgins
Strong coffee
smells like a current
of warm southerly air
in the climate of dawn.
Strong coffee
gets stronger
when poured back
through the grounds.
Opaque,
thick, hot, bitter
for waking up,
the caffeine
pumps through your center,
stains your mouth with morning,
with going to work,
surprises you
with your own
breath.
“Strong Coffee” by Anne Higgins from At the Year’s Elbow. © Mellen Poetry Press, 2000.
I love this poem. Besides how it perfectly describes my morning ritual, I’m entirely smitten with the line, “stains your mouth with morning.”
Yes, that’s ice on our pond. We’ve had some unusually chilly weather for this area
After that chilly image, warming things up by knitting a bulky yet lightweight and cozy sweater. Sure wish it was already done to pair with these chilly days.
Even though I am way behind on Christmas decorating, baking, card-writing, Christmas gatherings, et al, we’ve been so very fortunate to have begun attending some wonderful Christmas events in our community as well as a few dinner parties with friends. I love gathering with friends or family.
Christmas baking has begun in our household. This year I pulled out some of my mom’s favourite cookbooks and have made a few of her Christmas standbys, which I’ve been craving the past few Christmas seasons. Do you have any special Christmas traditions or special foods you associate with this season? I look forward to reading about your traditions.
I really like your ice pictures.
Coffee and I do not agree with each other so we leave each other alone.
I no longer have Christmas traditions other than to not decorate or celebrate; this is my choice, so don’t feel sad for me!
Nothing like hot coffee especially on a cold morning. I love that poem, too. We’re having a quiet Christmas, having a couple people over on Christmas Eve and then a quiet Christmas Day. Now that I’m retired there are less things I have to do including work events and gifts for co-workers. It makes it less stressful, for sure. I have a couple of holiday happy hours coming up and that will be all the events this year.
I love this poem, Diane!
We have so many traditions here, at Christmas, but probably the one that everyone enjoys the most, is my cookie baking. I’ve done it for years, and before that, it was my mom and grandmother.
I am hoping to get my girls over for some cookie making this weekend. December has been wild so far, taking it one day at a time.
I love to purchase odd things at Christmas that I wouldn’t usually buy like an unusual cheese or fancy crackers studded with nuts and fruit. I also like to splurge on oranges for fresh squeezed juice on Christmas morning. Along with the juice, there is little bacon wrapped sausages and pancakes or eggs. We are a small family, so it is a chicken for dinner not a turkey. Our day is always quiet, but I have come to like it that way.
Well, those mince pies I used to make for colleagues (and bus travellers!).
And when I was very young we hung small “favours” on our Christmas tree. The idea was that visitors to the house could choose one (they were wrapped in red for female, green for male)
Just silly little things, but something that we did.In consideration of limited pocket money and tree strength the rule was that they had to be small and light enough to hang.