There is a moment

There is a moment

Holding a cup

In both hands

Breathing in the aroma

Of coffee, freshly brewed

When his mind has flown

Racing through low clouds

To British Columbia

Or some place else

Where they still wear check shirts

And sing lumberjack songs

He sees big men

With red faces

Dancing in braces

Jumping

Turning somersaults

On fresh cut logs

Floating on a river

How do they do that?

As the logs bob up and down

Bumping closely together

A log jam

Monty Python was more than a snake

One sip of coffee

Acts as a stimulant

It stimulates simultaneous

Images of steamboats

With big paddle wheels

And smokestacks

Roulette and Blackjack

Set against a storm tipped sky

Smokestack and lightning

Muddy Waters was a blues singer

English kids

Misappropriated and resold his soul

Making a fortune in the process

Common wealth distribution

There are no dreamboats

Floating past the window

Nothing really moves

But his head is somewhere else

Even now

He can remember camping in the rain

Touching the inside of a tent

With a finger

Watching as a drip formed

Flinching as it fell

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Was a film about kidnap and captivity

How things change

With ‘me too’

A wholesome movie

Takes on a wholly different meaning

What happened to America

Was it ever innocent?

When invasion

And brutality

Can be explained away as high jinks

The cup has remained paused

Between sips

‘Fairtrade’ he whispers

‘What a charade that is

One more cup of coffee

Before I go…

To the valley below.’