trucker coffee

though you may not be a trucker
never have driven a semi with your CDL
never
ever
even thought of coasting up above the open road
putting thousands of miles beneath your cap
to the tune of
“east bound and down”---
you may have, in your short time on this planet,
walked into a diner &
ordered yourself up a deep cup of
trucker’s coffee.

strong & without ulterior motive,
the trucker’s coffee will stare you right in the eye
and tell you
“look man, you can either add milk & sugar to me,
or you can take me straight, but either way---
we gonna be waking your ass up!”

trucker’s coffee is not made by truckers,
its not brewed only in trucks,
and it certainly doesn’t come from some island that
only truckers can get to---
but it is an honest
drink---
you know it when you see it &
you see it when you smell it.

it doesn’t offer up the slightly bitter mystique of your
french roasted arabica or the pleasant aromas of
any of those classic
coffeehouse
concoctions,
it doesn’t even qualify as quality colombian,
but it may very well kick you like
kona.

mind you,
this coffee is not for the weak stomached---
it is not the light brown water that you get offered politely by your
neighbor,
when you come over to discuss the fact that their kids are
too damn loud
when they are playing in their backyard at the crack of dawn on
any given
work day.

it is brewed with the crappy water that only
diners can muster,
where no matter what tap it is poured from,
it still tastes thicker & harder than any water you
have ever sipped from another---
there may or may not be grounds still floating in it,
and it’s overall warmth may range anywhere from
scalding hot to luke warm,
but the fact remains,
at one, seldom changing price,
regularly falling below $2.00 &
free refills,
you can’t go wrong &
you will be awake
very soon.