Of geese and coffee cups #poem #poetry

Posted on Jun 15, 2017 by TanGental

I inhabit a space
Between
The Unknown
And
The Misunderstood.

In a continuum
Of blinks
Only one matters.

All past blinks are as one;
All future blinks are but practice dreams.
The one that matters
Is the twitch of a muscle,
A slide of skin,
A pucker of flesh.

I can repeat but not relive, nor anticipate.

The bubble
In the froth
On the surface
Of my coffee
Is
The Present.

Before this moment
It might have
Flown in,
Risen,
Morphed,
Swelled.
Who knows its past.

It’s future
Is even more
Unknowable.
How long before it
Pops,
Morphs,
Swells,
Shrinks,
Sinks?

Now
It is beauty,
A present present,
In the curve of its
Meniscus,
In the opalescence
Of its sheen,
In the delicacy
Of its construction,
In the ineffable simplicity
Of its physics.
It is its own moment and
Perfect.

I look to the honking heights:

The geese above my head
Are arrows across a severe sky.
They are
But one blink
In a bubble of
The Present;
A present to me
In my now.
In the space
Where geese appear to me,
Like bubbles on the surface
Of my coffee,
I can stop flight, freeze time

And in my now
I feel
I see
I sense
The beauty of a certain fact.
Not tortured memory
Playing tricks;
Not feeble speculation
With the seeds
Of its own disappointment.

These geese,
My geese,
Are my now.
My Present Presence.
And for that
I give thanks.

About TanGental

My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline. I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy. I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere. These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.
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17 Responses to Of geese and coffee cups #poem #poetry

  1. Miriam says:
    Jun 15, 2017 at 1:33 pm

    Always give thanks. Love this.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Annette Rochelle Aben says:
    Jun 15, 2017 at 2:45 pm

    Love my coffee and my geese! This is spectacular!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Rowena says:
    Jun 15, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    Sounds like you’ve been drinking too much mindfulness lately, Geoffle.
    Jokes aside, I really loved this and the references to the cappucino foam in particular. That’s appeared in a few of my poems over the years. It’s intriguing stuff and always seems to contain the meaning of life when you’re swirling your spoon through it. Or, watching that spoonful of sugar collapse through the foam.
    How are things going in London? I have been thinking of you and had thought you might’ve mentioned something about the fire. That haunting skeleton of the burned out building is truly horrifying and reminds me of the World Trade Centre before it collapsed. It’s moments like this where the world feels like such a small place and I’ve felt such a sense of connection with London lately. That we’re all connected.
    xx Rowena

    Like

    • TanGental says:
      Jun 15, 2017 at 4:32 pm

      Hi and I grateful for your thoughts turning this way. I’m not sure what to say about the fire in truth. It was so unnecessary if that’s the right thing to say, so many needless corners cut or ignored and now many many lives taken and countless others impacted dreadfully.
      On more frothy subjects have you ever gone and looked at latte art. Some really creative coffee out there!!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Rowena says:
        Jun 16, 2017 at 2:26 pm

        Blogging has really connected me to what’s happening overseas and when I hear about something happening I connect it up with one or mor eof my “blogging mates”. They come to represent a place, a country and in a sense become bigger than Ben Hur.
        I just Googled the latte art and saw some amazing stuff. I have enough trouble doodling.
        I hope you have a great weekend. I really am feeling quite keen to do nothing. Does that sound too terrible? It is Winter after all…a time of hibernation.
        xx Ro

        Like

      • TanGental says:
        Jun 16, 2017 at 3:09 pm

        Mine will be fab. The vet qualified fully today and the lawyer has a job post qualification in October so my work here is done earthlings

        Liked by 1 person

  4. JT Twissel says:
    Jun 15, 2017 at 7:46 pm

    Beautiful Geoff. Geese like arrows across the sky – particularly like that image!

    Liked by 1 person

    • TanGental says:
      Jun 16, 2017 at 12:45 am

      Thanks Jan. I’m having a poignant day what with the dreadful tower block fire and my daughter chewing her nails awaiting her finals results tomorrow….

      Like

  5. thecontentedcrafter says:
    Jun 15, 2017 at 7:57 pm

    A most enjoyable ode to mindfulness – such a lovely way to practise too, over a cup of coffee, perfectly made and presented!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. derrickjknight says:
    Jun 16, 2017 at 11:43 am

    Lovely and thought-provoking

    Liked by 1 person

  7. trifflepudling says:
    Jun 17, 2017 at 9:57 am

    What happens if you have straight black coffee like me?! Everything’s black, all black …! Noooo

    Liked by 1 person

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