he sipped his black coffee in coffehouses diners dinettes supper clubs donut shops and from thermos on jobsites off street curbs tree stumps benches picnic tables and at rocks at the feet of the Great Lakes beside unnamed lakes the Pacific Ocean Indian Atlantic oceans from Adirondack chairs on manicured lawns or upholstered chairs sofas ottomans in apartments homes suites bars and whorehouses every sip attended by unanswerable questions and perplexed friends acquaintances strangers willing to play the game who also had nothing to say

those endless affirmations of unknowing sweetened his coffee and often absently  looking into his cup he witnessed his eyes looking back at him  brightly hinting perhaps  that they knew what his own eyes did not 

                                                                                                     by their disconnect their thin surface existence by the hints of truth he captured on his paintings surfaces

he would clear his throat Waiter Waitress Hostess Joe (the barman) Please  another cup of coffee and hed drink his eyes seeking more and new reflections

                                         reflections too in shotglasses glasses of beer goneflat off his quivering face in creeks rivers lakes and seas

always  Please more

                       and more was what he got  asif he needed more  greed is wanting more and more and more and more and the more seethed in him brewed percolated dripped and spewed onto his canvasseshis papers it hacked his stone and pieces of wood becoming growing witnesses to those ever-unanswered questions 

they made their way to places he would never visit 

emissaries of his eyes

of Her eyes 

he would always be Her eyes 

no idea when I wrote it -- earlier this century

Dylan  Cup of Coffee  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95cufW4h-gA