Caffeine, the Villain

A tiny poem to bring you much needed delight, irony and something to consider.

Photo by J M on Unsplash

I question everything.
What if I stopped this?
Or started that?

I’ve gone off sugar,
Become a vegetarian,
And then a vegan.

I’ll read something about lifestyle,
What I choose to eat or how my body moves;
the area of my life where I have the most control.

Someone will say coffee is bad, a demon addiction.
Another posits coffee is an antioxidant, and good for me.
Who knows what is good for me besides me?

I’ve handed the power of knowing over to experts
For decades.
What I know now is that I’m done with experts.

I’m done with doctors who treat me as an average person
I am not an average person with
Generic organs and bones and blood.

Experts online manipulate money from my bank account 
Bent on selling me something they’ve convinced me I will die without.
A racket I’ve willingly participated in.

I won’t give up my coffee.
I know what I need, 
and it’s the villain of caffeine,

Not too much, and never after noon
The bold, rich taste of black coffee, swirling aroma
as the heat touches the air, my mouth.

I know what I need now.
it’s a shorter list than it ever was.
I need love. Words. Art. Coffee.

No expert necessary,
when I have one in residence,
Inside my own heart.