In April, T Ching announced a poetry contest in conjunction with Buddha Teas. Below you will find the entries fit to print. Please indicate your favorite entry by commenting, or vote by email: regena@tching.com*
Morning Cup
You know, there’s nothing better, than my morning cup of tea.
At least that’s what I think,
I’ve found more reasons, to drink that brew,
And loiter more ’round the sink.
It used to be just black tea, then earl grey then a chai,
Even green tea proved me wrong.
I stopped the tea bags, and scoured the world
When I tasted my first oolong.
It’s clean, it’s sweet, its taste so good,
It appeals to all my senses.
Coffees ‘ground’ and beer is flat,
You can trust camellia sinensis!
The Simplest Thing
Such a song, that is a song, that makes the heart sing loud.
A simple sound, a night profound, will make the world go round.
I’d like to take a pause you see, and appreciate all the beauty,
Of the nightingales, of sweet love tales, of sunsets on the sea.
And once I’m done, I’ll restart my day
In what I deem the most enjoyable way
Whether hot or cold, with sun or rain,
I’ll pour some tea, all the same.
Limerick
There once was a brew, camellia sinensis
Which appealed to all of the senses
Sight, smell, and taste
Enjoy without haste
Sip and renew your defenses!
The Brew Not Taken
Two brews emerged in yellow cups
And sorry I could not drink both
Yet be one consumer, long I stopped
And looked at one with its foamy top
Cloudy with oil from once-brown froth.
Then took the other, a thoughtful choice
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy; gave its voice
To tremendous variety that we rejoice
Black, oolong, or white – never the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In cups where brews are routinely black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how often tea leads my way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this without a sigh
To someone ages and ages hence
Two brews emerged in cups, and I –
I took the one most consumed world wide
And that has made all the difference.**
Love Came For Tea
I poured the tea and waited till quarter past three.
While it steeped, and cooled, I closed my eyes.
Visions of LOVE soon caught me by surprised
I am not one to be fooled.
Had love arrived?
There was warmth and light – beautiful and bright;
yes, Love was definitely here.
It was radiant, and right on time.
No need to shield these eyes of mine.
I asked, “LOVE, where have you been and what have you seen?”
LOVE said, “I have been all around, all over, and under.”
I asked of LOVE, “Speak to me as I sip my tea,
and tell me of the song you put in my heart.
Sing it to me right from the start
I wish to know every note of you.”
LOVE gathered itself;
it breathed and let itself be.
It gathered its threads.
“Ah, what a fine cloth we shall weave,
you and me, “ LOVE said to me, then sipped its tea.
Silver threads of wisdom;
Golden threads of wealth;
Copper strands of compassion;
as LOVE breathed, it covered me in its tapestry.
As I breathed, I felt its sincerity and passion.
“Take me in slowly,” it said.
“Let me out every chance you get.”
“Show me to the entire world.”
LOVE said it had been here right from the start,
that it began long ago.
It said, “I am smiling at you,
I am taking in your youth, for I am very old.”
LOVE said it was all the stories I had ever been told – and more.
“How much more can LOVE be and how old can LOVE possibly be?” I asked.
LOVE smiled, its teeth were large and white.
I felt the power of LOVE’S might.
LOVE said, “I am older than Time and I am as old as Truth.”
It informed me that LOVE and Truth were born together.
LOVE knew Truth, and without Truth, true LOVE could never be.
Truth and LOVE had agreed to be together, forever.
So, I invited Truth to sit down for tea.
We all sat down – us three.
LOVE, Truth, and Me – we sipped our tea,
all from the very same cup.
I wondered where we three would journey,
and if we would ever miss a spot.
As I sipped the last drop,
I worried not.
LOVE was here with me,
and we were sipping tea.
*judges’ decisions are final; but popular vote weighs in!
**parody of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken“
First is the best
I’d like to thank everyone who submitted a poem for this contest. Although I enjoyed reading all of the submissions, I’ll have to throw my hat with The Simplest Thing.
I’m a sucker for limericks, so my vote’s on that one!
I like the “Brew Not Taken” :)
I love The Simplest Thing. Makes me feel like reading it over and over again.
I’d have to go with The Simplest Thing for my vote!
I really like “The Simplest Thing” :D
Really like “love came for tea”. All of them are beautifully written.