So the letter B brings with it Baba Budan’s beans, and as I mention in the title, beautiful blue ever afters. To know what I am talking about, read on…

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My B Poem: Baba Budan’s Bearded Beans

Baba Budan’s Bearded Beans
Baba Budan was his name
and smuggling beans
his claim to fame!
And if you are one
to savor your morning brew,
there is a high chance that you
know of this tale for sure,
of this Sufi saint of Chikmagalur…

A smuggler saint, you ask?
well, when mocha is the motive
smuggling seems like a small task..
now let me get to the actual narrative..

The story goes that Baba Budan
he was with his Hajj pilgrimage done
stopped at the port of Mocha on the way
was offered a cup of ‘qahwa’ to buoy the day

For Baba Budan, it was love at first sip
he had to make sure he had coffee to drip
in his beloved hilly abode,
But the Arabs they truly coveted
these beans; saying ‘off with his head’
for those who took it, who dared.

He searched for green beans far and wide
and chanced upon seven to his delight..
All he had to was keep them out of sight
so into his beard went seven beans to hide.
Across miles and over the seas
the beans traveled now with ease…
Until, in the lush Chikmagalur hilltops
the beans found a home so wonderful
they thrived, became the main crop
colonialism took care of the rest
and coffee soon was offered to guests
in England and France and elsewhere too
And perhaps, it is also very likely
that bean’s offshoot is in your morning brew…

To end this tale, I now relate
of my own trip to see the saint.
Visiting Bababudangiri* as a teen
I recall a cave, a tomb within,
and of a saint revered by everyone
whether Hindu, Muslim, or Christian..
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

The Addendum

Your death wasn’t the story one thought it would be;
And when you died, they talked about your life.
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

The above lines are a result of turning Thoreau’s poem(below) almost all around, and work for NaPoWriMo’s day three prompt as well as an addendum to my Baba Budan ‘B’ poem for the day (I hope they do work)…

My life has been the poem I would have writ
But I could not both live and utter it.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Sources and Additional Reading for Baba Budan’s Story

• Baba Budan’s Story
• The Legend of Baba Budan
• How Baba Budan Brought Coffee to India
• The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers (a book I never reviewed)
• 10 Great Short Poems, & Contenders For the Shortest Ever
• Bababudangiri – Baba Budan’s hill

My B Books

Before the Ever After

My Quick Thoughts: Woodson never fails to awe with the emotive power and beauty of her words. I loved Brown Girl Dreaming (another book that will fit here but maybe I used it before?) Anyways, this one is a beautiful, heart-wrenching read that still manages to be hopeful and heartwarming at the same time. I appreciated that it is about a topic not often explored in books for younger readers (sports injuries and their impact)

Blue Lipstick

My Quick Thoughts: A short and quick read but worth every bit of it. Blue Lipstick contains brilliantly executed concrete poems that also bring out all the feels and whatevers about being a teenager. I love how Grandits includes the fonts used throughout as well as the tools used to bring the book to its readers

And Now, the End of This Post

Linking up to BlogChatterA2Z, Blogging from A-to-Z April Challenge, NaPoWriMo, and the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Also linking up the books to It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?