….I have measured out my life with coffee spoons….
from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
TS ELIOT
I
PARADISIO
Coffee paradise encompasses all of Italy.
The aroma of caffe, rich dark espresso
with perfect freshly pressed froth on top,
is not sipped but chugged from shot glasses
while standing at a bar. Divine words
are not sufficient to describe this pleasure
unless you are ordering a doppio or double.
Then beatific and miraculous reign appropriatly.
II
PURGATORIO
The Madonna must have invented
the macchiato, the not so pure espresso,
with a dollop of foamed milk
sitting atop like a halo,
or the cappuccino, more mellow
than the macchiato by the addition
of steamed milk. These drinks, as smooth
and gossamer as angel wings, beg forgiveness
from a true coffee connoisseur.
III
INFERNO
If you want to commit all the deadly sins
of a coffee addict, sip the decadent Borgia
the richness of lust and intrigue,
fitting for the family of which it is named,
will tickle your sinful sensibilities.
Wicked whip cream tops a mixture
of espresso and hot chocolate
sprinkled with cinnamon
and slim slivers of orange peel.
Go to hell with the Borgias.
Enjoy Yourself!
BIO: Dianalee Velie is the Poet Laureate of Newbury New Hampshire where she lives and writes. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, and has a Master of Arts in Writing from Manhattanville College, where she has served as faculty advisor of Inkwell: A Literary Magazine. She has taught poetry, memoir, and short story at universities and colleges in New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire and in private workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her award-winning poetry and short stories have been published in hundreds of literary journals and many have been translated into Italian.
Wanderlust 