The glowing, wavy haired siren calls to me from high above the stacks of cups, napkins and plastic stirrers. She watches over me—that mysterious grin tugging at the corners of her mouth—even as I place my complicated, multi-faceted, multi-layered order at the counter. Oh but I cannot wait to savor her steamy magical elixir!

She will transform my morning with her comforting aromas and sweet flavor. Her heat will serve as a warm and welcome embrace from the inside out. As I wait, impatiently, to hold her in my hands once again, shifting my weight from one foot to the other… I ask myself the ever-pressing question: What ever would I do without her?

It isn’t until she is firmly within my grasp and ultimately resting in the cup holder, that she finally releases her hypnotic hold on me. Her keepers have my five dollars and some change and we are finally alone. Alone and left to realize that which she truly is… For she is not some mystical, bewitching creature after all, but a simple green logo printed on an insanely overpriced paper cup that will eventually wind up in the garbage.

Photo by Violenz