The coffee date - coffee stories

The coffee date - coffee stories

Wet towel on the bed, again

She had grown tired of telling him

Twenty years and counting 

Some things never change

She thought irritably

Eighteen years had flown by

As their son grew

School, soccer, piano practices, work

Vacations, trips, little sicknesses, visits

Filled their lives to the brim and over

Now, kid in college , 

All that time 

They did not spend together 

Engrossed in their sons' upbringing

Stretched through empty evenings

To fill the yawning silence

In the house

Distance in their hearts

Empty-nesters was a scary thought 

They would have to live with one another again

Could no longer hide behind schedules

Learn to be alone without a third presence

Learn to converse with one another, again

Renegotiate new routines

Now the email cursor blinked

Stressing the question,

Whatever possessed him

To suggest meeting for coffee ?

Why not ? ,she shrugged

She got off work around four,anyway

Sent off a syllabic ok 

Close to the meeting 

She felt the butterflies of anticipation 

She had forgotten 

How this had been a weekly ritual

Before their son arrived

Coffee was actually pleasant

She had completely missed

His rekindled passion for gardening

Never thought he would find

Her new found interest in natural remedies, engaging 

I could just about live with him, after all 

She smiled to herself, bemused

As they left the cafe

--shubha 

The secret ingredient- coffee tales

The secret ingredient- coffee tales


He heaped the best Colombian
Coffee powder into the tiny percolator
Looking rather lost among
A range of discarded coffee makers
Abandoned in his quest
To regain coffee,his mother made

Almost two years
Since he had first bagged the prestigious US project
He adjusted, delighted in most things here
Freedoms, processes, conveniences, opportunities
The wide open, natural spaces, infrastructure
Everything,except the coffee

After struggling with thin, lukewarm bitter liquid
Artificial non-dairy creamers
That passed for coffee
He had begun experimenting
At home with different coffee makers

He soon discovered the cappuccino,
Mocha, expresso, latte ,the french press, Turkish coffee
And thankfully, a local Starbucks
For his daily caffeine fix
But his Amma's filter coffee
Remained elusive

She had even sent him her own powder
And a 110 volt ready percolator
A product specifically made
For the NRI market
Through his cousin

And yet , the coffee didn't taste the same
Coffee, milk , sugar in proportion
He mused exasperated
What else did his mother add to his coffee?


--shubha

Satisfaction

Satisfaction

Sate the restlessness of great variation
Arrive at the place of synchronization
Temper the desires of greedy ambition
In contentment ,find our destination
Surmount suffering with an accepting disposition
Find joy in the trivial, everyday condition
Act to blend thought, word,deed in unison
Condition the mind to look for joy in every action
Treat others with kindness, compassion
In others' success , find our own redemption
Offer grateful prayer with supplication
Negate envy, with happy submission

Satisfaction, in a restless world, so hard to find
Is the gift of a subdued mind

--shubha

I wait for you no more

I wait for you no more

I wait for you, no more
Not in languorous, lazy afternoons
Drowsy in its' warmth
Not in the long, scented nights
Awake to their own beauty

Not even as I watch
A single dew drop
Gather in itself
Hold its' world together
A moment, a breath
Before falling
To it's end

I wait for you, no more
For what can you bring
What can I give
More than what we have exchanged ?

The knowledge of being worthy
Of love
The promise of growing in it

The warmth of memories
To blanket our days
When the creeping vine
Of cold loneliness
Strangles our hearts

An introduction
To that part of us
Hitherto unknown

So with thanks
I watch you go
To your own destiny
And wait for you, no more

--shubha

Hot Coffee -coffee stories

Hot coffee - coffee stories

Traveling to a famous temple

A little family stopped along the way

Do I have to come? , she asked petulantly

There is a little coffee left in my flask

I can stay in the car, she said

Athai, it would be cold now

Do come to the restaurant with us

The children are hungry, cajoled her nephew

Tightening her sari pallo over her shoulders

She stepped in hesitantly

Taking in the large space,

Hustle ,bustle

With wonder

Would you like something to eat ?

I won't eat until after the darshan

You know that , she chided

Just coffee for me

Your sister has promised to have dinner ready

It is a good thing,she lives close to the temple

The waiter, a young man

Carried over the large order smartly

Set down her single cup of coffee

She stared at her cup

Reluctant to look up

A young widow

All her life, she had waited on others

First her father,uncles

Her brothers,cousins

Then nephews,nieces,grandnephews

Always having her coffee

After everyone was served

It was generally deflated, cold

Lukewarm if she was lucky

Having a strange man

Waiting on her

Was alarming

Uncomfortably luxurious

She slowly drank the piping hot coffee

Having satisfied herself

That it was a vegetarian restaurant

Back in the car

So much money,she lamented

If I had known,I would have made dosas

Before we left

You do more than enough, assured her nephew

I wanted you to have the experience

What did you like about your first trip to a restaurant?

Well, the coffee tastes different, she paused

Much better,when it is hot.

--shubha