Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Karen Press

Wednesday morning in the Café Caprice

Wednesday morning in the Café Caprice

Wednesday morning in the Café Caprice

There’s a sledge hammer going steadily
in the upper left corner of the roof.

A roar of steam from the cappuccino jet.

A rotary machine drying itself
or the air or something else helpless and silent.

Someone knocking espresso bricks out of their mould
against the side of a bin, metal on metal.

Dean Martin crooning his love
to a thousand violins.

The garbage van compacting the street’s refuse
in four dimensions of decibels.

Teaspoons clattering onto saucers

A fly coughing and coughing on my arm.

Across the road the sea in its own silent movie
throwing up waves, catching them in its blue arms.
Close

Wednesday morning in the Café Caprice

There’s a sledge hammer going steadily
in the upper left corner of the roof.

A roar of steam from the cappuccino jet.

A rotary machine drying itself
or the air or something else helpless and silent.

Someone knocking espresso bricks out of their mould
against the side of a bin, metal on metal.

Dean Martin crooning his love
to a thousand violins.

The garbage van compacting the street’s refuse
in four dimensions of decibels.

Teaspoons clattering onto saucers

A fly coughing and coughing on my arm.

Across the road the sea in its own silent movie
throwing up waves, catching them in its blue arms.

Wednesday morning in the Café Caprice

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère