Ode to Matchmaking at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea - Au Lait! Au Lait!

by Chris Lord

To her, he was a bold untamed sweetheart with a kick,

a gray centaur drinking passion from a blended cup,

stirring dollops of savory memories with his tongue.

She was captivated, watched for an outpouring of woo,

a nod back to a black mythical time when man and horse

perked as one fiery full-bodied brew. At first, she feared

he would jolt and whip her away to an island without

a café; but then she saw he was not a frothy mix¾no,

he was herbal and wise, an unbridled fair-trade centaur,

a dearest Darjeeling, a high-steepin’ earl, an organic

indulging in sweet caramel mocha, offering carrot cake.

She stepped over sweet water, neighed across the floor,

sampled dragon eyes, monkey caps, gunpowder tea,

eggnog lattes, chocolate-covered sunflower seeds.

She repaired his racing heart, stroked his thinning mane,

said, “Hey, Centa, you half and half hybrid, you’re hot!”

He reared, red-eyed, said “Whoa! I’m no double shot¾

I’m a single animated caffeinated here and to-go Joe,

lookin’ to kick back my hooves with someone who

grasps my bushy tale of woe. ” He was flanked by

her first flush of warmth, asked her to linger with him

over Sweetwaters’ heady scent of ardor in Ann Arbor.

They wrapped themselves in lemon peel, cinnamon,

jasmine, mandarin orange; honeyed a cherry scone¾

stirred steamy stories and poems in intense espresso¾

sugar cubes floated toward them on clouds of cream.

“Ode to Matchmaking at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea¾Au lait! Au lait!” first appeared in Writers Reading at Sweetwaters, December 2007, and is reprinted by permission of the author.