Tea

Recently I've become addicted to the tea created by local tea blender, Summer Plum. I especially like her herbal and green teas. They show a real understanding of flavor layering that I am accustomed to appreciating in fine cuisine but hadn't found in tea before. She is hosting a contest right now and to enter you have to write a poem or short piece of prose about the virtues of tea. I don't think I've written poetry since the middle school English class where my teacher forced use to write sonnets and haikus following strict rules and structures we couldn't understand. But here goes.

A sip.

The light taste on my lips lingers; spices burn and honey sticks.


The warmth between my hands.

Like the gentle heat of a lover's body, curled against mine in unassuming sleep.


A wisp of gentle steam.

The sound of quiet breathing, soft like a child but sweet with satisfaction.


In the quite night I sip, and remember.