Boiling coffee

Simmering coffee just right,
hot enough but not too hot,
releases all the flavor
a fragrant, swirling amalgam of bean & water.
It needs careful application of heat,
knowing when to cut back the fire.
A sense of perspective and limits
yielding up more than just wet beans and warm water.

But too high the flame
and your coffee is doomed.
Too much fire scalds, drives out the essence,
like boiling down love into friendship.
You can still drink it,
but it doesn't taste the same.