Cafe Ole

Somewhat sad to see
the old machines unplugged,
wires dangling, in exile
They're missed.
Their good cup of private Joe,
The clogged spray heads,
the overfilled burnt out
soggy paper filters and slop
all added to that mysterious
concoction of glop
Those famous old machines
in the scattered break rooms
turned out cafe with the taste
of an old shoe and sole
and after years of thirst
you nearly gained comfort
in the unexpected taste
and juice of the next searing cup

The bean counters
grabbed their calculators
and got together one day
with the fire marshals
in their sloped back fire hats
and outlawed
the private breweries
in cubicles and window counters
saying there is too much
paper, newspapers!
around our paperless office,
and instead
of tossing yesterday's news
into the trash bins
the men with memos
said the brewers must shoo

But nobody mentions the elephant
hiding under each flattop desk
the tarantula of outlet bars
with plugs and so many wires
for these four monitors
and these two hard drives
And by the way, your space heater,
well that too, has to go,
We'll give you a discount at Orvis
when you order long johns there
And don't even think
to bring in that little desk-mounted fan

You'll have to burn your popcorn
in our microwave now because
your private contraptions
have been banned and outlawed
and must leave the premises
immediately without haste
You know this is nothing new
we're not trying to pull wool
over your cold ears or steal the sugar
off your frosted bun
in your private oven toaster
but these rules have been around
a lot longer than you have
it's just that we've been too busy
you see, to enforce them til now

You'll get used to our new brew
It won't taste like your old shoe
Now you too can brew six varieties
(two French, one Columbian, no less,
plus breakfast, hazelnut & decaf)
one cup at a time with a learning curve
that even you can master in no time

Copyright 2005, Anthony Buccino, All Rights Reserved