Anybody's Guess

AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

How I stand in front of the stove

with espresso on the front burner?

Me, a boy from North Dakota?

I'll tell you this. I spoon

fine grounds into the filter

of the stove top pot,

tapping them down

with the cap of the salt shaker,

a perfect fit, before screwing on

the top half of the machine

that will receive the dark brew.

The last orchard in the city

just cut its trees for developers.

I still find my way to apples

driving through the parking lot

of the Methodist Church.

Jim Bodeen

27 April 2019