Coffee Bean

Coffee is just a vessel for cream and sugar for most:

the raw essence of ground beans is too much to bear on its own.

Most people shade themselves in this façade of suave melodies and sweet fantasies,

not realizing that a true cup of coffee is dark and sour,

and no matter how much cream you add,

you can taste it.

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It wasn’t what you were expecting, this unpleasant aftertaste.

After all, you are used to diluting reality with pleasure,

and I think you nearly forgot how treacherous these hot waters are,

burning and black—you’ll appreciate the pain,

eventually.

And while sugar is sweet,

sweet can not make up for something that never was,

and I think that when we brew our imagination into reality,

a diabetic concoction of pleasure,

we forget the root of it all lies in its humble bean.

Hanna Masudi ‘26

The digital color photograph shows the backside of some stairs. The chain serves as a pop of subtle color, leading the viewer's eye around the scene. The neutral color scheme and slightly dark atmosphere create a sense of intrigue.