True Love of Coffee

Caffeinated Armageddon

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee, Coffee - Volume Two, Inquisitive, Spiritual

I dreamdt of waking
Trying to lure myself from fruitless ambition
To taste the wine as it caressed my lips
Breathing the nectar of life I had forgotten

But it was pretty pointless
I set my coffee on my desk
As I had done a thousand times before
and my eyes wandered out of my window

From my vantage, this sleek castle of glass
I could see hundreds of people living
Moving in a world that I could only witness
Like a spectator or a referee that didn’t know the rules

I could hear the hum of the air conditioning
The mindless chattering of coworkers on the phone
Yet it all seemed chaotically meaningless
As if I was paused in a world of hectic crisis

I thought to myself
Wouldn’t life be grand if it was different
Could I dare to be an artist
Should I care if no one knows my name

My boss scurried by my office door
I wondered why they thought so highly of this game
A competition of man eat mouse
Where the little guy never got the cheese

I sighed, pausing my thoughts for a moment
Pondering how wonderful it would be
To live in a place where we were all meant to be
And when I resumed, I simply took another sip of coffee

Defeating Death

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee - Volume Two, Defiant, Loss, Love

Oh dear lady death,
With hands so cold
So chilling
Does anyone welcome the embrace

You are immortal
A soul forever roaming in search of
The glory of life fading to nature’s whim
Yet you seek to find sustenance

Does it come to you
As you stare into the eyes of tomorrow
Trying to drain our lives with your mission
To be alone, wandering with no other

The robes you wear
Torn and sad, unlike a peasant from street
You hide your gaze under the darkness of your heart
As you spitefully tear away our hope of living

The scythe you hold
Is your only possession
Made of steel so cold
That only a heart such as yours can wield it

Dear lady death,
I am here before you
To speak these words
With my last breath

To instill my faith
as I gaze into your eyes
and without question
Take your hand

You are not alone
The value of our lives
Will never balance your regret
Of hating the man you once loved

No, our lives will torment you
Fill your mind with waking despair
Test the insanity you have kept for millennia
As we dare to love without fear

I will look into your heart
And as my breath escapes my lips
One last time
I will whisper, I love you

The Knight’s Letter

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee - Volume Two, Defiant, Honor

As a sign of my faith
My lord, I send this letter to you
For me my liege there is no resurrection
There is only my word, to share this view
Of a battlefield that defines my devotion

This was the story of one life, my own
A savior, a warrior sworn to your crown
To uphold a code of chivalry and so much more
Yet I must confess lord, tomorrow I will die
My spirit, my body, and my life will have been yours

My word will be beset with great challenge
Yet I have given it freely to you so many years ago
I will not fail to give my people hope
And in death I will stand behind your crown for all eternity
I will become the hero you asked me to be

In my breathing
There will be desperation
As my hand falls to the ground
Trying to lift my body
Pushing against blood soaked soil

My will may come to breaking
Following the footsteps of my body
It will fail to keep me in motion
Feverishly trying to maintain my life
And losing a war that was already over

I will fight against all those who oppose you
Our soldier’s bravery will hold you’re banner high
The last words we scream will instill awe in our family
My final breath of air will be in defiance to your enemy
And my body will come to rest under your flag

My lord, I beg of you to take my life and remember it
To raise a cup of your finest ale and salute my sacrifice
I will be long gone by the time you read this
Yet my kin, my blood, will have found safety in our homeland
My liege, it was an honor to be your knight

The Children of a Modern World

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee - Volume Two, Creative Writing, Friendship

Once, in a world of chaotically bright color.
Was a child and his only friend.
They lived in a city of painted personalities.
A urban sprawl of mysterious demands and narrow escapes.
Neither of them knew why they were there.

They simply existed in a community of only two, forever alone.
The child, always inquisitive- always asked questions.
Inquiries that were often met by faceless solitude.
The friend, always carefree – was always willing to play.
Yet neither of them ever drew the attention of those around them.

The child and his fried seemingly knew only each other.
No one else saw them, even when they stood in the street.
Waiting impatiently for a car to come run them down.
They had grown so independent of the world.
That they knew they had no connection with it.

The child frequently screamed at the sky.
Usually with daring curses and questions about why.
He did not wish to care, but still he would cry.
His life was defined by his friend who was so carefree.
After years of playing, of enjoying his life, he was only left one decision.

The friend however, was living a life with only one purpose.
To laugh, to be carefree, and to have no limits.
The friend simply wanted to find a partner to enjoy his company.
Yet the chosen child was his only friend.
A child that was quickly losing himself in the maze of adulthood.

One day the child looked at the friend,
Put his shirt on, placed a tie around his neck, and buttoned his jacket.
He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee, and left his home.
As he speeded through to his destination, he listened to the words of someone else.
He sat forever looking at a red light, with a blank stare just like those around him.

The friend sat in his home, waiting for his friend to return.
Each day he moved things around, trying to find his friend somewhere beneath the rubble.
The friend spent years trying, again and again, to discover his inquisitive child.
One day, after many days had passed, his child came home.
and to the friend’s horror, he realized that he was invisible as the child looked through him.

I tried once…

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee - Volume Two, Defiant

I tried once
To become something
Special
To push myself
Farther and harder
Than was possible

I tried once
To become someone
Unique
To evolve
Beyond
The here and now

I tried once
To become more
Than I was
To believe in things
That I couldn�t see
Anywhere

I tried once
To become anything
That someone wanted
To hold to myself
Because no one else would
Care

I tried once
Yes, I tried
Again and again
To look upon life
So beautiful
That I cried

I tried once
To see the world
Through eyes
That could not deny
How amazing
My life was

The Cursed Ship

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee - Volume Two, Loss, Love

A maiden ship adrift in the dark
Rumored to hold the ghost of a true lady
The lazarette of lost love trapped in her death
Lost upon the shore of faded glory
She was the ship destined to steal my heart
To tear away my mooring
Give me no quarter, no mercy
And to carry my soul to new depths
She would move me beyond wanting
And lift my spirit amongst the waves
Yet the squall would drown my wisdom
The mist obscuring my view
A fog that could not be disturbed
My life, my only desire
To be cast alone as if a bottle on the water
I would carry a message that only one could hear
And only I would know, if not in life then in death
This ship, my life, would be my salvation
As the pulse of the deck gave purpose to my travel
And my hope left broken on the bow of desperation
I would search the sea in search of my destiny
Asking Neptune to grant my wish, or deny it
To pull my strength under, to force me into darkness
Dragging me beneath the air falsely giving me breath
to sink my passion to the depth of the sea
Daring each fathom to take me farther
and find the secret treasure I know is there

The Pirate

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee - Volume Two, Humor

On the open sea
We are what we will be
Some call us thieves
Which is true indeed
A reason we earned such bounty
But let us see
If pirates we will be

On the open sea
Dont forget we me
Indeed itll be a day you regret
But we will be, what we will be
Our day a filled with strife
Argh, tis the way we live this life
As pirates we will be

My Breath

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee - Volume Two, Inquisitive

I was cold, not much more than usual
But my fingers were numb
Enough that I fumbled my coffee

She was simply left gazing at a symbol
Drawn on the frosted glass near her
Of a heart that faded from her view

The Photograph

Posted by Barry Hurd in Coffee - Volume Two, Love

I do not remember
What I looked like
The way my hair flowed
The brilliance of my eyes

No matter how hard I try
My mind wanders from the truth
I find myself trying to deny
I ponder and question my faith

I look at myself in a mirror
At a face that no one else can be
My soul hiding behind a smile
And perhaps hiding everything of me

Yet for a moment I pose myself
As my image is burned from my mind
and the feelings of who I am are caught
Unaware by the flash of a camera

My portrait is chiseled into unflinching reality
Yet I still question the face I look at
A person no longer trying to break free
Just an image of my thoughts for all to see

A boating we will go…

Posted by Barry Hurd in Author's Favorites, Daily thoughts

This has nothing to do with poetry…