National Poetry Month (2024): That's aLatte (5 of 30)

It's Poetry Friday...and National Poetry Month. It's like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, all the good things put together. Today's Poetry Friday community roundup is hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem. I'm looking forward to walking around the Poetry Friday neighborhood this weekend to see what everyone is up to for April. If you're interested in the madness I've jumped into this month, scroll to the bottom of this post. 

Craft Tip #5: Choosing Your Words

In today's craft tip from The Practicing Poet (see below), Barbara Hamby discusses word origin and diction. I have A LOT to learn here so I know I will return to her chapter often. The part of her chapter that snagged my attention, however, was her emphasis on fun. Choosing words is fun. Playing with words is fun. Writing and rewriting lines is an enjoyable way to pass the time. For today's poem, I decided FUN would be the top priority. It's Friday after all, and some of my friends will stop by. Sounds like a party. 

For today's poem, I decided to follow the prompt suggested in this chapter: essentially research a food, use its definition, add a turn, add new meaning. It's interesting how it has required so many of the early craft suggestions: research, listing, word choice. I consider this draft, draft, draft. It really needs some time to play with it some more. 

That's aLatte 

The barista stares at me.

Coffee. Means, a beverage made by percolation, 

infusion, or decoction from roasted and ground 

seeds of a coffee plant. Means, any of several 

Old World tropical plans of the madder family,

widely cultivated in warm regions for their seeds 

from which coffee is prepared. seeds 

thrust into the ground,

grow,

grow,

grow,

slow,

slow,

slow.

I look at the menu.

I can't decide. 

Cappuccino.

Expresso.

Dark roast.

Three to four years of 

waiting,

waiting,

waiting,

for coffee plants to bear 

fruit. finally, ripe coffee cherries 

are harvested, by hand.

day after

day after

day,

spread out to dry in the sun,

graded, sorted, milled to ship.

roasted to ready for brewing.

The barista tilts her head,

waiting,

waiting,

waiting.

i pause to consider my order, 

unaware of all it took to get the 

coffee to the space.

unaware of the line forming 

behind me. 

my grandfather's words ring in my head,

“i will never pay more than fifty cents for coffee.”

pushing his wise words away, I request,

“a latte, please.”

Cathy Mere (draft, draft, draft) 

References:

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Wikipedia

10 Steps from Seed to Cup

Thanks for stopping by Merely Day by Day. It's National Poetry Month.

For April I will be taking a deep dive into The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics, edited by Diane Lockward. This book is full of 30 craft tips so it is the perfect way to shape this month's challenge and dig a little deeper into the craft of poetry. Stop by my Substack page, Merely in Progress, each day to follow this month's writing journey. There you will also find reflections, links, and inspiration across the challenge. 

Of course, this month is really about writing poetry so I will have a new poem posted here each day utilizing a craft tip from the book. I'm sure the ride will be bumpy, but there will be a lot learned along the way.