My Friend Java

In Louisiana it’s the staff of life
Helping you through toil and strife…
Getting you going on a difficult morn,
Putting a smile on a face forlorn.

Like a jump start to a cranky car,
A boost to a battery that wasn’t par…
A benefit to the whole community
And can be enjoyed without impunity!

A stimulant, no doubt unto the heart
And assuredly creates a positive start…
An aid to impulses through the synapse
Saving mentation from total collapse.

Paula Dean calls butter “our friend.”
Yet coffee supports ‘till the bitter end.
A refreshing perk for one on the mend
And one for the road, a traveler to send.

Some call it “Joe” and some call it “mud”.
A never washed cup just looks like crud!
Much coffee guzzled from multiple pots
Can create a real need for urgent stops…

Now some must watch their intake
And their daily consumption of oxylates
To avoid a creation of renal calculus
Along with the beneficial stimulus.

Some like it straight and usually black,
Not doctored up to make it taste slack…
It’s great, but not to be one’s total diet
For food must be balanced—it’s only right.

Some say Java holds medicinal power
And can cure a headache no matter the hour.
Well, I have to say that for me, it’s true,
But I surely cannot speak for you…

At times one may need more than caffeine
To play on the field with a winning team.
It takes endurance and lots of skill,
Strategy and good plays---that’s the deal!

To sit at a fireplace at the end of day
Even though life hasn’t gone your way.
To have fresh coffee poured in your mug
And receive from your family a genuine hug…

These are special moments.

A panacea from Heaven above,
A source of calm in the push and shove,
A principal elixir par excellence,
A helpful resource in any parlance.

Coffee should create community,
Not insulation or social immunity.
Hit me again, and my cup top off
Before I go play a round of golf!

Charlie Covington
March 19, 2023
Arlington, TN