My youngest challenged me early this evening to write a poem about drinking a cup of tea. Took a while for inspiration to brew, so here is my late attempt.
after water boils
my cup sits, too hot to drink
yet, I taste the steam
knowing even if sipped now
this tea would not warm my heart
Shiteki Na Usagi 
There’s nothing like a cup of tea…sipping in silence…love it!
pandamoniumcat,
🙂 Glad you liked it. It’s one I stay pleased with. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I’m not a tea drinker, but I do cherish my cup of coffee each morning. It readies me for a new day!
danadampier,
I’m more of a coffee drinker myself. I think the concept still works whether tea or coffee … though some might debate it. Thanks for reading and commenting.
A little sad, but nice all the same.
leahJlynn,
That wouldn’t be a bad epitaph, would it? 😉 Thanks for stopping in and sharing your thoughts.
(Even though I had commented the first time, I’d still do one here).
Appreciate the contrast which I didn’t quite see earlier. Brilliant in its brevity. Nicely Yousei!
Hank
Hank,
Thank you for adding another comment. One of the pleasures of reading … finding new things, even in the familiar. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts.
Tea and ‘solitude’ take a while to steep. A fine write and lots to think about here.
Mary,
Thank you for the visit and the thoughts. I like the idea of solitude steeping. 🙂
I like where you went with this and saw it from the perspective Brendan shared. It also made me want to visit my favorite place for tea – the Japanese tea garden in San Francisco. Beautifully done!
Anna,
This is my favorite little teapot. Funny how such things can make a simple cup of tea more special. Happy to have shared it with your and to have sparked such special memories.
As a tea drinker all my life, I really appreciate this. I know exactly what you mean by taste the steam. It does have a tinge of sadness in the not warming your heart, I agree. Beautiful poem.
Daydreamertoo,
Happy you visited. I appreciate the insights you shared. Wistfulness can be as appealing as the smell of a familiar tea, don’t you think?
very interestingly synaesthetic, “tasting the steam” aside from just smelling it. it manifests the richness of the senses, their versatility. and that cute paradox posed in the end, that the warm tea can’t warm the heart, there is always a tincture of sadness for last lines like that. but poems are supposed to jolt, to elicit something, i think you succeeded at that. 🙂
ivanlabayne,
Thank you very much for your visit and comment. The analysis in your comment is particularly appreciated. As a writer I really appreciate such depth because it gives some perspective on the success of the crafting and on reader reactions. I look forward to your next visit.
What else can I say but, Wow! I’m only commenting here because this is the bottom of your first page. I found your site through LinkedIn. Well I’m happy to have found you. Check me out when you have time. Peace and Love.
thepoetdaniel,
Welcome. I’m glad you stopped by as well. I’ve already been perusing your site and am looking forward to sharing poetry with you. Thanks for following. Happy New Year and good luck with Diesel. I’m jealous.
Simile, too hot but not warm enough, well done; short & neat, contrast challenge met…
Lindy Lee,
Welcome back and thank you for the insightful comment. When poetry can be done in so few words, that’s when I like it the best. Happy New Year to you.
Great poem
Thomas Davis,
Welcome back. Happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
poignant pen! nice work!
Happy holidays!
Kellie,
Thank you for taking some time to visit and comment. You’re poem honoring your step-father was lovely. I hope everyone will feel some comfort in being with one another today and tomorrow, taking it into the New Year.
Yousei,
That is true. Whatever we do we never can influence and mend a broken heart. It hurts and wears one of our warmness.
Hank
Hank,
Your words tell me you definitely understand. Thank you.
clever one, wow.
Happy Holidays.
😉
Natalie,
Welcome back. I’m two for two with you today. It’s a good day. Thanks for the visit and Happy Holidays to you as well.
I like the contrasts of warm and cold in your poem. Plus the last verse was unexpected but good.
Happy Holidays to you ~
http://everydayamazin.blogspot.com/2011/12/solitary-walk.html
Heaven,
The ending can make or break the story. Glad you liked it. Thanks for the visit and comment.
lovely:) I never thought about tasting steam… but how true this is as one eagerly awaits something craved:)
Loved it!
~L
~L,
I find that tasting sensation truer with coffee than tea, but it had to be tea for this poem. Thank you for your visit and comment. I loved your latest piece and will be back to read more, promise.
I like both the poem, and that pot!
Happy Holidays
sandy,
I love my testubin teapot. You can get them online or at Asian stores if you’re lucky. I actually found a very tempting one earlier this week, but I didn’t want to give my husband an excuse to use his shotgun (just kidding). If you’re content to window shop visit here: http://www.enjoyingtea.com/ . Thanks for stopping in. I loved your snow pictures.
The twist at the end definitely makes it. The sipping steam helps, too!
Joseph,
I keep looking at it and thinking it is kind of bare of specific details, but then that very aspect resonates with the hollowness of the moment. As to sipping steam, I discovered Lipton’s Passionfruit and Coconut Green Tea. Rich, aromatic and delicious, it’s my new favorite because you CAN almost taste it in the scent. I’m glad you stopped in. I always look forward to your visits and comments. Merry everything to you. 😀
This is so zen-like. I get “into” tea when it’s cold, like it is now. (6 degrees Farenheit). But you’re right. Sometimes you just have to hold it and breath in the aroma till it’s cool enough to drink.
Victoria,
Brrrr. Even colder for you then for me. We were a balmy 18 degrees Farenheit this morning. I generally rush in and drink it hot, sometimes burning my tongue. But for this poem, that reluctance was needed to symbolize more than just not wanting to drink hot tea. I’m glad I could share it with you.
Your poem is lovely and in few words tells us much about its author’s feelings in the moment of writing. A mouthful of feeling… encourages me to write such a morsel myself (though I have no small children to prod me).
Ruth,
Consider yourself prodded. I expect a morsel sometime this holiday season. 😉 Thanks for visiting, commenting, and sharing a taste with me.
I like how the “even” in “even if sipped now” adds an extra layer of longing. Plus how your poem is making me think of making a cup of tea. 🙂
Kathy,
And I like your reading on that one word. You caught something I hadn’t even consciously intended. As far as making you want your own cup of tea, I went right over and brewed a pot when I finished writing. Power of suggestion, eh? Thank you for visiting and sharing a cup.
sometimes tasting the steam is all it needs…great metaphor here yousei…
claudia,
As to “tasting steam,” we bought coffee for our family, and I’ve been tasting it as I type (the bags sitting on the table behind me). Mmmmmm. It’s my favorite blend. Thank you for your visit. I really admire your poetry, so your comments and compliments are treasures and encouragement. May your holidays be filled with scents of happiness and memories.
nice re-reading it…glad you linked up with us…a cup of tea…even though it doesn’t always warm the heart, sometimes it helps…smiles
Claudia,
I agree. That deep sigh after a good sip, that alone helps. Thanks for rereading and sharing your thoughts.
It makes me think of one dying of thirst on the beach — all that water, none of it potable. Heat doesn’t come from the outside, does it? Not the kind that matters. – Brendan
Brendan,
That is an even better analogy than the sentiment I was trying to capture. Well put and thanking for reading deeper than the surface of a simple poem.
nice….you have imbued this tea with a depth of feeling…and left it open to us to stir in our own…
brian,
There are times when it feels like the last word is in place and its all up to the readers from there. Thanks for your visits, comments, and stirring the cup here from time to time. You make a good cup of poetry.
the last line though def brings your own feeling out in it…i do like a spot of tea some nights…smiles.
brian,
Thanks as always for stopping in. You have a standing poetic tea invite. 😉
“I taste the steam” – nice!
then followed with knowing it wouldn’t warm your heart, if you drank it now, quite a turn on the senses, liked it! thanks 😉
yoga-adan,
Contrast is exactly what the prompt involved. Thank you for your visit and comment, from which I feel my poem was successful. 🙂