To the Artist's Page                   To our home page

To J. Kevin Wolfe's previous piece     To J. Kevin Wolfe's next piece

Bosnian Coffee

Grind beans to graphite. 
'Not fine enough' Mensura says 
Mohammud's chuckle rumbles  

Roast half-a-minute in the pot. 
Gilded handle arches 
Pot smalls at the brim  

A teaspoon heap for each half-demitasse.
'Refuge tore 
the shirts off our backs 
This ritual of coffee 
is all we could carry'  

Add half-a-pot of boiling water. Stir. 
A froth tans the surface 
'Blood's not this thick'  

Add the other half. 
Mohammud lights a Drina 
It demures in his hand  

Secrete blackvenom into thimbles. 
The oil's skin rises 
into a rainbow of indigoes  

Don't let it sit. 
'Bean ghosts grow bitter' 
His laugh thunders 
It frightens the Drina's smoke  

Place two sugar cubes beside each. 
Sockheads bombed his house 
They missed his laugh  

Dip the diamonds. Nibble. 
War gnawed Sarajevo 
His dirty jokes kept them sane  

Swig the silt. Repeat at 4pm. 
Specks pepper the bottom 
and haunt the cup 

To the top of this page