Welcome friends and welcome foes
Welcome you fools, and you sages.
Welcome you thinkers and you laborers,
Men and women, young and old.
We gather to taste of that divine nectar,
That permeates the air with its fine fragrance,
That dances on our tongues like a tango,
That sings to our pallets of symphonies unheard,
Yes, coffee is all of this,
This and much more.
For there is mystery here…
From farmer to roaster to barista,
Passion is channeled into attentive labor – this bean desires care.
And care we give it, as much as we’re able,
Not because we have created this thing,
But because we know the glory it has to give,
And so we tend to it – meticulously, tenderly,
As a mother to her child,
That it may be birthed into its fullness,
That wonder we are here to enjoy.
So drink you fighters and you lovers,
Drink you cynics and you hopeful,
Drink you orthodox and you heretics,
Drink you conservatives, and you liberals.
Join us in this most human endeavor,
As we delight in this gift—
From Creator to all humankind,
Dissolving the boundaries which separate us,
And forming community where we thought we had none.
It is precious,
It is beautiful,
It is coffee – Let us drink!
At the occasion of our Panama Esmeralda Tasting & Fundraising event on May 18, 2010.
Pictures by Joya Iverson.
