The rich aroma seeps through the

house before the sun

begins to creep over the horizon,

its bitter flavor washes over my tongue

and warms my body,

I feel my mind awaken,

the haze lifts,

and I am free to think.

My brain begins to whir

and my thought become more clear,

more intellectual;

without it I am trapped.

Held prisoner behind the thick curtain

of exhaustion that still plagues me after

the restless night,

unable to lift the heavy weights that

I can feel pulling my eyelids downward.

Coffee is my freedom.