Dear coffee bean
You offer such gifts:
Your noble aroma
Your elegant taste
A moment of peace in my day
Yet when I imagine
The journey you’ve taken
I can’t help but feel
A profound kinship with your fate
You grew in warm lands near the equator
While I grew in Japan’s four seasons
You, a seed waiting years to flower
I, following the expected path to a decent job
Three years until you bore fruit
Three years until I understood my work
How small you are, yet
How much time you needed to mature
How lost I was, and
How long it took to find my worth
Then
You were plucked when ripe
I was plucked from my familiar place
You were stripped to your core
I was moved to unknown territories
After that
Your worth was tested
As was mine
You were roasted
I was left out to dry
You were ground down
My spirit was crushed
But then
Hot water poured over you
New perspectives poured into me
You became delicious coffee
I became a person of substance
You bring comfort and joy to those who drink you
I give thanks to all who cross my path
You fulfill your purpose
I fulfill my life’s journey
Ah, dear coffee bean
Why are we so alike?
It feels as though I’ve found
A friend who truly understands
And my heart swells with joy
