It’s after 8 AM. I have images of tasks I want to complete today, a that girl playlist running and I finally have the espresso brewing. The struggle is real. Pre-coffee me has just as many ideas as Caffeinated me, but half the thought process. Do I want to go downtown, sit under a tree and read first, take a walk among other trees, rearrange my whole room, or just doom scroll on social media?
Whichever task comes into fruition first, Coffee is Always the Answer.
Coffee never asks questions
Coffee always understands
Coffee is my main soulmate
Unless it’s decaf.
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A Coffee Adventures post exploring Oregon through poetry and my favorite travel memory of where I wish I could be. This is part of the #AtoZChallenge.
This morning I opened my list of poetry types and saw C. I went through Classicism, Cowboy Poetry, and simple Crystalline poetry. But, I was also listening to my morning music list and the music of Daniel Austin Sperry reminded me of a poem I sent to him yesterday. I called it The Oregonian Seduction. It told the story of being afraid to fall in love– with a state.
I wrote that poem and a cluster of simple poetic thoughts during the Summer of 2023. I hadn’t been to Oregon since March of 2020 and constantly kept promising a friend I would go back soon. Soon turned into a year then two and finally, I had an opportunity. I visited Southern Oregon twice that summer. The first time I visited the beauty of Crater Lake and the Gardens at Shore Acres. The second time was a little more smoky, but I still remember the fairy tale vibe of sitting on the Gold Hill beach of the Rogue River and the beauty of Lithia Park when I was honored to meet Daniel – or the man in the red hat, as I first thought of him.
It’s nearing summer again and all my thoughts are in Oregon, even though I am over a thousand miles away. Today I give you a cluster of three love poems to Oregon mixed into one.
The Oregonian Seduction
Tempt me with your clothing of green and pink, Your hair of blue and white. Your sweetest breath touches my skin Whispering as you caress my hair, You remind me of fairy tales and wishes Unspoken. Through the wisdom of a child You called to me. A commitment hard to make, You shower me with gifts As if it had always been this way. My trust is a fragile thing And the price of your love is high. Do I give up the other me, Keeping you as mine?
My heart and soul live here In the land of evergreens And strangely colored birds, Where creatures roam free. My body has been far from home, Ripped away long ago, Only breathing in a place I never belonged.
Today I sat on a sandy beach Beneath the old railroad bridge Watching the Rogue coast past Before it wakes from slumber. The senses alert Inflatable boats with a lazy day crew Of laughter, adventure, And a minute’s struggle For stability. Through the lens Of a ghost in white The author pens The perfect day on the River. I wish this world was mine.
What places or memories have captured your heart? What verses would you write about them?
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A Coffee Adventures exploration of blank verse poetry, creative structure, and the weaving of Love and Fear in the modern world. This is part of April’s #AtoZChallenge series. If you have topic you would like to see a poem written about, comment below.
I used to know a man who said he was made for the kind of life we live in now. The modern fear of dystopia. But, he said he wanted to do everything he could to avoid it and preferred to live in a a world of Enlightenment. This was followed by some back handed statement about how I would be a nobody in the latter kind of world and that’s one of the reason we haven’t spoken in years. About a year ago, I realized — He was correct. In a world that was enlightened and harmonious I would be unnoticed, because I wouldn’t need to speak up. I could be in my happy little hobbit home with my books and coffee and happy thoughts. That is my ideal world. I always thought it was either/or. But, then I noticed the things that do make life worth living. Works of art, a nice conversation with a stranger, Raptor Day on Threads, the way people get excited about music or creativity, the way communities come together for each other. No matter how awful things are, there is more Love in the world that can overpower the Fear we face on a daily basis.
Today, I write about this using a little Blank Verse.
My first words evolved Interrupted by memories and Faith. Two word collide: Dystopia and Enlightenment. Today was foreseen By the Tapestry Weavers. I thought the choice Was one life or another. Fear and Love; Side by Side.
When you write creatively, do you feel more drawn to structure or flow?
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