"Terra Firma Latte"

Two rings the shade of cardboard
Encircle each other and form a circumference
That brings people together.


The mocha circle is a footprint
Left by a stranger or a friend
On a coaster, a table, anything with a surface.


The latte drips down the sides of the cup
Like an IV pumping through the veins
Of a patient on life support.


The caffeine attacks the bloodstream
As a bolt of lightning strikes a tree
Standing on its tippy-toes.


The black man with a suit on
Likes his coffee light and sweet
With nonfat milk and an ice cube.


The white woman with the mop and the broom
Likes her Columbian-brewed coffee black
With no sugar. No milk. Bare and bitter.


The beans are ground
The brewing coffee drips
The aroma like a zephyr blows through the building.


And two rings the shade of earth
Surround each other in a binding halo
That brings people together.