© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Text:
My Coffee Maker
My coffee maker,
a gift from a friend,
would signal the completion
of its task with five rhythmic
beep...beep...beep...beep...beeps,
until, less than a year later,
it stopped its beeping
--cold turkey.
How I missed the sound!
Six months after that,
brewing finished, it issued
a single beep.
Now, it will, on occasion,
beep...beep...beep...beep...beep,
or, issue one lone toll.
Most of the time, though,
silence.
Like an old friendship
its coffee may not be as warm
as it once had been.
Yet, like an old friend,
my coffee maker can coax
a smile on the most
random of days.
Donna at Mainely Write will be hosting the Poetry Friday Round-Up, be sure to stop by!
I had to laugh and read this to my husband. Ours still beeps those 5 piercing beeps. Sometimes I wish it wouldn't, when everyone is asleep. I've tried finding from whence the beep emanates to muffle it! I never thought of how I'd feel if it actually stopped. I think I might be a little sad. Fun poem!
ReplyDeleteI am easily side-tracked, so the beeps are good for reminding me that if I want my coffee fresh and hot I should get it now!
DeleteI use a Kuerig (which I think is totally not environmentally friendly) and the sound it makes as the coffee finishes brewing is the comforting sound of morning to me. This is a funny poem that leads to a new understanding about life.
ReplyDeleteAfter I went through three Kuerigs in a relatively short span of time, I decided a good old drip machine was a whole lot cheaper! I'm glad yours works well. The one at work seems to be okay, too. I must give off bad vibes at home.
DeleteLife's rewards, even tiny, are what we depend upon, and the loss of a few beeps can make us nostalgic. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but your poem, to me, touches other changes, too. I loved reading it, Diane.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. It was on one of the five-beep days that the poem popped into my head. Even the tiny rewards can bring riches (or poems).
DeleteMy husband and I replaced the old, beeping coffee maker when it strained to let out its final beeeeeep. The new, shiny, silver one doesn't signal coffee time with beeps but lets out a steamy sigh like a dragon, living down deep in the darkness of our morning brew.
ReplyDelete:) Love this! A coffee dragon...
DeleteA sigh is good, but too much gurgling like we get from the machine at work, can be disconcerting! (OMG! The poor machine is choking!)
DeleteHmmm...I feel like I'm starting to relate to this dear old coffee maker!
ReplyDeleteWe are pour-over coffee folks in this house, no machines to break down. :-)
I used a French press for a short period, but it left me with the impression that my coffee was muddy.
DeleteLove the quirkiness of this poem, Diane. Made me smile and think of appliances I own with which I also have a personal relationship. :) Our old coffee maker still works but has always been silent -- could be it's moping because I prefer tea . . .
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to speak to it, Jama, and try to convince it that it's a special occasion when you do use it. Like it's "special."
DeleteWhat a fun poem. Ours just gives off a little hiss and gurgle as the last of the water percolates through the grounds into the pot. The best for me, though, is the aroma of coffee wafting through the house when I awaken.
ReplyDeleteEven if I didn't drink coffee, I would still love the smell!
DeleteI hope it's a coffee-smile day for you, Diane.
ReplyDeleteThis morning was a five-beeper! So, yes, a coffee-smile day!
DeleteOur coffee rituals ... don’t know what I would do without mine! ☕️
ReplyDeleteIt's a rare day I don't have three cups in the morning!
DeleteI love that you made a poem out of this persnickety little machine's habits. Delightful! I guess, being a well-traveled coffee maker, it's entitled to beep whenever it wants to. ;0)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't considered its travels! Maybe that's another poem...
DeleteNice ode to your coffee maker Diane. We have an ancient radio alarm clock that's telling us it's tired and ready to take a break. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe get so attached to things, but at least a coffee maker doesn't just gather sit around and gather dust (unlike some of the other things I've kept for years. but never use).
DeleteI savor the aroma of coffee, tho I am a preferred Yerba & Egyptian Licorice tea drinker.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to write a poem tribute about our dependency on these small appliances & helpmates that we rely on to smooth our way. Now I'm thinking about how I love my 20 year old microwave - little beaming light, the funny ding!
This is a delightful poem & post, Diane. Appreciations.
"Yerba & Egyptian Licorice"--how intriguing! I've never come across it. Do you buy it at your local grocery store or is it a special order thing?
DeleteThanks for the humor, Diane. We do become attached to our electrical appliances.
ReplyDeleteAnd anthropomorphize them!
DeleteLol. I hated the five beep finish and gave that coffee pot away. Bought a new maker...four beeps. Progress!
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, Linda!
DeleteI have a Nespresso machine, I love its convenience - but we still do occasionally use our other brewing coffee machine. I don't think I'd survive without coffee. :)
ReplyDeleteThose beeps always signal the promise of a brand new day, whether five or one...I, too, love that sound, Diane.
ReplyDeleteMakes me wish I drank coffee again! I could use that kind of steady morning relationship.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think of Pavlov. I love your ode to the beep.
ReplyDelete