Ode to the Coffee Cup
by Hana Meron

Cherished favorite of the cabinet 
I start each morning with a warm-bellied hug 
I mind your lips carefully, notice their every curve
There is nothing you bring me I can’t handle. 

It’s true: I chip, I crack under pressure 
but it’ll take a lot from you to break 
my spirit. The message printed on my side
reminds you daily why you chose me,

says something special about the bond we share. 
I greet you at your worst and turn around your mornings
like the lover who fills me 
with coffee, then hands me off to you. 

I know a little more than you might think about love
I savor the dregs you’d rather forget.

(c) Hana Meron Poetry 2021