Cold coffee and silence

Early morning musings

How quiet and still these early morning hours...

The barely audible tick, tick, tick
of a number less clock the only sound heard
barring that of my own breathing
and the click, click, click of man's best friend
as he approaches across well worn oak flooring
before jumping up to curl against my exposed thigh,
a welcome warmth on this chilly autumn morning.

Coffee, now 30 minutes since fresh, sits cold
in a half empty white China cup,
the rim smeared, lip stained.
It still amazes me that aged 60 plus
I have never mastered the art of "stainless" drinking,
that lip marks and run stains accompany every sip of every cup.
Should I lick the cups' sides after every sip,
would that be frowned upon,
would I catch the eye of the disbelieving
"did he really just do that" coffee drinking folk
if licking the side of a Costa emblazoned cup in public,
probably, but how else to keep a clean cup,
perhaps lip filler to improve suction, who knows.

A creaking floor board from the room above
halts my coffee cup musings,
has my thoughts turning to the day ahead
and the humdrum, the daily beat
that accompanies my Mon - Fri working hours,
5 more years, death or retirement,
hopefully the latter.

Author's Note

Perhaps to be expanded, who knows:)

Reviews

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

you really capture that feeling of waking up in the morning. the description of the dog clicking its way to your room was very well-written and was a memorable turn. in the second stanza, we enter the consciousness of the persona as she reflects on trivial things, the way tired brains do. the final stanza now has her now focussed on the immediate future, and we are left wondering what happened to her after. it is a well-structured narrative and the lucid descriptions of sounds make it an engaging read.

[Gee]

Thanks Ern, glad you enjoyed the read

[Marie]

I love how you fill your reader in one the beautiful morning filled with silence apart from the tick tock of the digital clock, that you have woken to, dear Gee. I love how your dog comes to greet you and curls up beside you.
I too, start my day with a Cappuccino but have to have it very hot, I never mastered drinking cold coffee.
I love your coffee cup musings!
The five years to retirement won't be long passing by, dear Gee. In case I am 'on the other side' when the time arrives, I wish you many, many, many happy, blessed and wonderful years of retirement, dear friend.
I love your poem, Gee! As always, inked with humour and again, as always a great joy to read.
Thank you for sharing this very finely penned poem studded with warm and lovely depiction. Beautiful blessings your way, Gee...

[Gee]

Again thank you Marie, so glad you enjoyed

[Marie]

Most welcome always, dear Gee...

[Robert Trakofler]

Lol perhaps a sippy cup or some straws would help:) I believe if you found a skilled tea reader they may be able to interpret you lip stains as a way of divination you could be masking valuable information by licking that cup!

[Gee]

Coffee through a straw, NEVER I say, never :)
Thank you Robert

[Robert Trakofler]

lol yeah that’s was a bad idea

[MsJewel]

I think mornings are my favorite time of day. The cool calm quiet before the rush of the day.. and that first sip of coffee is always the best. Like you, my lipstick always finds my cup and I too have thought of licking it off!! Oh well...we aren't perfect, but your poem is - Perfectly lovely and a joy to read. Julie

[Gee]

Hi Julie, thank you. As one of my peers it is nice to know you approve:)

[Coyote Poetry]

I need coffee, I love my coffee in the morning or the night. My coffee seemed to get cold too. I am 66 years old and I must keep working to stay ahead of the bills. Hello my friend and thank you for sharing the entertaining poetry.
Coyote

[Gee]

Hi Coyote, thank you for taking time out to visit, read and comment, it is most appreciated.
Hope you are keeping well.

[Gee]

Hi Jacob, thanks for taking the time to drop in, always appreciated

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this made me lick my lips in anticipation of fall and those cool days. Your description gets us there, we are right with you with every thought and movement.
I am retired...feels a little like a certain death to me.
I am anxious to return to teaching as soon as I can.
j.

[Gee]

Hi Jacob, thanks for taking the time to drop in, always appreciated

[redzone]

early morning musing with coffee and stained cup... if you licked your cup in public, I would know exactly what you are doing and would be amused at your thinking and solution. A stained cup usually means there is much to be thinking about, a feat that many do not bother to do, as they are too caught up in the daily routine. I find that cold, half-filled cup is a signal for me to get started on my day.

a very relatable poem, Gee. And hopefully there will be a part 2 and 3 and...

[Gee]

Thank you kindly, appreciate you both reading and commenting on this piece.