A golden stroke of sunlight
In the calm chill of the morning
The kiss of a coffee cup
With the warmth of a thousand bitter
Drops of heaven…
A single songbird perched nearby,
Chirping till its heart content
Waking in the sleep of a hundred.
I sit here lost in thought
While I gaze into the open, purple sky
As the twilight soon will give way
To a blazing orange
And the trees, in fall
Burning crimson red
Will sway to the beat
Of the whispering wind.
Happy days.
It’s six a.m., and the kitchen is filled with musty smells and I get a putrid hit of food rotting in the dustbin. I see a chubby rat feasting on the remains of last night’s meal, which almost feels like a grand spread for the little critter. It’s still dark outside; I throw a light switch to illuminate the room, revealing the mess of dishes strewn across the sink. I’ll deal with those later, I decide, for I had important things to tackle first.
The pot of coffee lies neglected in the file cabinet, where I’d put it after brewing my morning cup yesterday. I take it in my hands, inspect it, and verify that it is clean to my liking. I fill it up to the brim with tap water, place it gently on the stove and turn on the heat. I rub my eyes as I watch the water, calm at first but slowly disturbed as the slow heat does its thing. The water simmers over the flame, carefully and wishfully, as if it was trying to savor every moment it was on the stove. The calm soon ends as the water comes to a feverish boil. It’s time to put in the coffee, I think to myself, as I scoop a generous helping of the brown powder into the pot of boiling liquid. The smell wafts, and teases my nostrils as I add in the sugar and milk. My body feels wide awake, and my senses are whet by the sweet smell of my coffee. I feast on the visual grandeur that is my cup – the milky brown elixir now topped with a dollop of cream swirling on top of its surface. I indulge my taste buds as I sip on the magical concoction, feel the warm and bitter tinge at the back of my tongue, savoring the mild sweetness and gentle creaminess of its additives.
I realize that the greatest joys in life could be really simple. I’m now ready to tackle whatever life throws at me today.
Inspired by this week’s writing challenge.
Waking up every morning
The sight of you comforts me
I could smell you from a distance
A reason to smile, to reach out
Your fragrance teases me, tempts me
Pushes me beyond the edge
Heightens my senses, now sharp as ever
Ready for an epic battle
And as I see your golden body
Merge with the milky white
Making heart shapes on your surface
With a creamy texture
And the taste lingers on my tongue
Ever so slowly it grows
The bitter-sweet symphony
Playing with my taste buds
And your warmth overwhelms me
Intoxicates me, makes me want to live again
Makes me want to dream, to fight, to sing
To breathe
And I realize how much I love you
My morning cup of coffee,
What would I do without you?
My eye catches yours
But I cannot hold your gaze
Because looking in your eyes
Makes me weak
You let off a wry smile, gentle, almost mischievous
As if you’re trying to provoke me
That smile of yours pushes me off the edge
And makes me want to kiss those lips
But I control myself; not here, not now.
You sense my dilemma. You lean forward
Pick up your cup, and take a sip;
Savoring the taste.
I now wish I were that cup of coffee
The one you were so gently holding
And kissing just a moment ago.
I’ve lost all track of time.
You’ve just made a memory
I can’t forget.
No matter what I try and do
My mind just keeps coming to you.
And you’ve made me realize
That it doesn’t take a grand gesture
But just that little thing you did
That made me fall in love with you.
We’ve all had bad days. Days when we just wanted to stay in bed and never get out. Or when pulling your hair out seemed less painful than what you were going through.
A song to sing on one of those days…
(verse one)
You’ve been having a bad day
Nothing seems to be going your way
Four cups of coffee, yet your feet feel like lead
You think you woke up from the wrong side of bed?
You feel like you want to run and hide
Or quiet down and go sit outside
But there’s a solution I’d recommend
All you need to do, is smile my friend!
(chorus)
All you need to do is smile
To make your life worthwhile
You won’t let go of your pain
By crying in the rain
The days may feel so very long
Or everything just seems so wrong
But it’s not too late
To start feeling great…
Just smile… It’s worth it!
(verse two)
Your laughter’s making an awesome sound
And soon things seem to be turning around
Look there! Your troubles running out the gate
Feels like your head just lost some weight!
When it feels like you’re attached to a drain
Just smile, my friend, to ease the pain
Don’t forget, it’s magic! That beautiful smile
It can never go out of style
(repeat chorus)
So all you need to do is smile
To make your life worthwhile
It’s not too late
To start feeling great…
Just smile… It’s worth it!
I wished for a place, my happy place
A place where I’d be myself
Where I’d be alone, yes all alone
My mind left to itself
My dream came true, and one fine day
I had my wonderful place
It feels like my cocoon, my bubble
Yes, my own happy space
I have a desk, a chair, a lamp
My books, some paper and a pen
A cup of coffee, pictures on the wall
To look at every now and then
Add to that, my comfy bed
A place to take my beauty nap
Where I’d be one with my dreams;
My fantasies I’d unwrap
The view outside is breathtaking
And the clear cool air feels nice
The peace and quiet make a perfect mix
Like a mix of sugar and spice
I love the fact that it has a lot of light
It keeps me thinking good
It simply keeps me happy all day
And brightens up my mood
And I love to be there all day long
Not a second left to waste
I thank my stars for letting me have
My own happy place
Mihir Kamat 