KAFFA COFFEE CALL

By Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin
Ethiopia's poet laureate

KAFFA COFFEE call is our time tasted language
Calling our great family of one great world
To the stimulating warmth
Of our Ethiopian peace offering.

KAFFA COFFEE is the chosen seed of our first gods.
It is like "the child is the father of the man."
It is like the plant is the flesh of the African sun.
That "the fear of God is beginning of wisdom"
Was first manifested by our ancient ancestors
Who sacrificed for Him their "best fruit of earth",
This, our most treasured golden brown gift
From our most gifted Ethiopian earth
"Let us have coffee" is our first call.
It is our way of inviting the world
Towards the call for lasting friendships.
It is our prelude towards the stem of love.
It is our way of gentle gesture
To make our world more livable.

To share our cup of coffee
Is in order only to build
The bridge of our togetherness
For our world brotherhood
To share our cup of coffee
Is in order only to share
Our chosen offer of God's gift
With our family of one humankind.

KAFFA COFFEE call is our time - tasted language.
It is the chosen seed of our first gods.
It is like " the child is the father of the man."
It is like the plant is the flesh of the African sun.

This poem is taken from 'Kaffa Coffee magazine, July 1998'.