Poetry of Place was an experiment in sharing, gifting poems to shopkeepers in exchange for their stories... Caffe Min

Breakfast Lunch Meal deal Everything you would expect Fresh from the takeaway menu Ham baguette With a little bit of mayonnaise Jacket potato Hot cup of coffee Bacon sarnie Brown sauce Not red Tikka mint mayo panini Something you might not expect Sunglasses!

I sit on a long bench Listening to Tainted Love Over the radio Reading one of the many signs About coffee and good vibes Jayne and Mustafa Serve the steady flow of regulars Some sit outside most of the day Watching Chatting Taking it all in

There’s always a spot for them As others come and go

Mustafa hopes that more regulars Will return From offices When they can The future seems uncertain Until normality returns

Since West Brom 27 years ago Jayne and Mustafa Have been working together She says she “has a thick skin to have put up with him for so long” He says “she’s the second woman in his life” Cheerful banter From a lifetime of serving Cooking Cleaning Managing

This is their third café in Dudley 23 years and still going Opposite the Full Moon Tables and chairs on the pavement

Watching the comings and goings

I end up chatting to Kath Over a cup of tea As she gets a sausage baguette For the lady she volunteers with Kath comes every Friday For breakfast with her friends and I see how this all takes shape Regular Reliable Dependable

I say goodbye Head back up the town As Magic FM fades in the distance I think I’ll probably pop in again For a cup of tea