Coffee Poetry Poem by Padmanabhan Ananth

So do we at all now need a debate truly
About this: the humble cup of coffee?
May be necessary, may not be obligatory
But I'm starting one through this poetry!

From Arabic 'qahwah' to Turkish 'kahve'
It become English 'coffee' from Italian 'caffè'
Since 16th century it's loved in every land
Across globe, the cash crop most traded

Varieties many like the Robusta, Arabica
Arusha, Mocha, Caturra and Pacamara
From Brasilia, India, Ethiopia, Arabia, Java
Even Kopi Luak, Sumatran civet cats' excreta!

Some say good for health are the coffees
They have varieties of anti-oxidant properties
Others say coffee's caffeine's addictive, so bad
Ask coffee connoisseurs, that'd get 'em mad!

But its caffeine has natural stimulating effect
Turning many like me, a committed coffee addict
South Indian filter coffee is my best choice
Fresh ground 'kaapi' brought from Madras

A cup when I wake up at the break of dawn
And one cup for each office work session
I fussily mix my own cup at the office pantry
Giving me illusions of enhancing my energy!

Those days, I'd have it at home or at eateries
The Bhavans, Sagars* had their own stories
Now here CCD**, Barista, Costa, Gloria Jean's
Their claim to fame sure through roasted beans!

I was shocked to find a serpentine queue
At Starbucks, all for a simple cup of brew
And amazed at the gadgets on their shelves
For brewing and serving it all by ourselves

Now it has entered the small-screen shows
'Koffee with Karan', where chats get too 'close'!
Where the focus of anchor and guests
Is never on coffee but all on gossiping else!

I shall sum up these verses on coffee eulogy
With these final words but with no apology
I am a hardened fan of the modest coffee
Can give up other wants not this cuppa frothy!
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*Name suffixes for eateries in South India e.g. Saravana Bhavan, Shanthi Sagar.
**Cafe Coffee Day - a chain of coffee outlets in India.