The Costa Girls

The girls at Costa, have saved my life

They make the best coffee, according to my wife

She has become so addicted to caffeine you see

She must have a cup or two of her favorite coffee

Or for the rest of the day, she’ll be grumpy and tense

Conversation is difficult and her words don’t make sense

As her brain tries to function and come fully awake

So now, every day, the journey we must take

To the nearest Costa about ten miles away

So we hop in the car to kick start her day

A warm welcome meets us at the door

As I struggle to make my way across the floor

From behind the counter we are greeted with a smile

To get to my table can take me quite awhile

I try to ignore the glances and stares

As I make my way around tables and chairs

And the other customers with their coffee and cake

Sometimes I freeze, then shuffle and shake

But they know me by now and know what I need

Sometime they even bring me the paper to read

My wife goes to the counter to order and chat

And catches up on the latest gossip and all that

Sometimes when the baristas are very busy

She explains to the new girl, how to make perfect coffee

And gets her to practise until it’s just right

A large cappuccino or the perfect flat white

My wife is an expert on making coffee

In the art of distilling and the brewing of tea

In fact she’s an expert on just about everything

I don’t need Google, Wikipedia or Bing

Because she’ĺl know the answer to every question

On just about any subject you care to mention

And is not slow to share or offer her opinion

Or to engage with any strangers in the art of conversation

She enjoys a cigarette and a chat on the patio

Some days she has time for a second before we go

And sometimes another fresh cup of coffee too

Off to do the shopping, a quick visit to the loo

As we say down in Cork by the banks of the Lee

“Sure that one would talk the hind legs off a donkey”

So now we make our daily pilgrimage

Costa feels like our second home at this stage

My wife loves the coffee, the chat and the craic

I just sit quietly with my 7up down the back

Enjoying my lunch, I don’t drink coffee or tea

I just sit and observe and write my poetry

And smile to myself as I watch my dear wife

Thank you Costa Girls for brightening up our life.

To Alannah and Ashling and Monica

Also to Kate, Sarah and Ahkona

Not forgetting Edyta and Brenda too

To all the girls – a big Thank You !

C Denis Murphy 29 December 2017