Tea Poetry Contest 2022 Finalists
This is your opportunity to participate in our Tea Poetry Contest. Below are 17 finalists, selected out of 56 entries. The main criteria for this year’s contest is that the poem have, “. . . a significant and meaningful tea theme.” Now that our team of preliminary judges has narrowed the submissions, it is time for you to vote.
Vote For Three Favorites
Please use the form at the bottom of this page to select your three favorite poets. Or use this link to the form to vote.
The finalists are:
Melissa Baysinger
Erin Bigart
Andrea Marie Brokaw
Joejuan Byrd
Peter Christy
Joann Condino
Elizabeth Coppel
Barbara Flaherty
Goran Gatalica
Cristle Griwach
Kimberly Harrison
T.L. “Drew” Kreuser
Gina Lane
Heather Lavoie
Marilyn Miller
James Norwood Pratt
Gloria Slomczynski
Tea
Not black as the night
Not green as the frog
Not yellow as the sunshine
Not white as the snowflake
Not oolong as the century
But beautiful just the same
A way to taste the colors of nature
– Melissa Baysingar
Leave your walker here and sit by me, dear.
The water is brewing, our adventure awaits.
Watch for Cape Buffalo and little springbok.
Tie your kanga around you and wait until you see
the beautiful hue of this rooibos tea!
So glad we could visit: come sit by me, dear.
The water is brewing, our adventure awaits.
The Gaiwan is ready. This white tea is true.
Can you taste the dew off the plant of the Silver Needle poured for you?
Feeling lonely? Come sit by me, dear.
The water is brewing, our adventure awaits.
The Assam and Darjeeling have quite different tastes.
The spices are varied, the cities are busy.
Perhaps you’d prefer a cup from Sikkim or Nilgiri?
Wait until next week when you sit by me, dear!
We’ll brew the water, our adventure awaits.
We still have so much to taste and to see
Yellow, purple, green and smoky tea.
– Erin Bigart
The Spider’s Tea,
A Love Story in Verse
The spider’s name is Geraldine.
Far above thee she doth tower.
Three meters great in height,
Make her the vastest spider thou hast seen,
The scariest spider thou hast ever seen.
Spoken of with naught but awe,
She doth make most fair folk cower.
But thine own heart knows no fright
For thou hast seen the teapot in her claw,
The lovely, earthen teapot held there in her claw.
The spider asks, “Wouldst thou like tea?
It’s sweet, but also sour.”
Thou stareth silent at the sight
As a teacup she holds out to thee,
A cute little tea cup held out to thee.
The spider, she doth offer cream
And honey, if thou wilt allow her.
The creature makes of tea a rite
Like a play borrowed from dream,
A most lovely and enticing dream.
At length doth thou sit and drink,
Then some biscuits thou doth devour.
And now thine heart doth take to flight
As in love thou doth start to sink.
In love with this spider thou doth now sink.
The spider, she begins to smile,
And most would flee straight from her bower.
But thou stayeth as the spider’s knight
For her tea made thou a spiderphile,
A blissful, tea-soaked spiderphile.
The spider’s name is Geraldine.
Thine love for her will always flower.
And as her skill is far from slight,
Of teatime she shall reign thine queen,
Thine gorgeous, eight-legged brewing queen.
– Andrea Marie Brokaw
Herbs Of Tea
To pass the time of day I load up rounds of rhymes to say
And spray my verbal arsenal at any time of day
Intention is to meet myself half way like touché
Capturing precious moments in life before they float away
blessed with a sip from a cup tea over runneth as is every day
i pen to paper indent to whom this may concern might i say?
my sweet to the crossing all teas natural remedy?
I’m Still perplexed by the ability of a camera to this day
Freezing an instant of something untouchable in such a way
i Ponder these and other conundrums as they arise
As they pass and subside my weary subtle hazey eyes
another sip i ingest excitement to my taste buds prior to digest
as my experience into the veins of these coupled couplets i inject
my sweet to the crossing all teas natural remedy my now reckoning
my life yet in what perception as i like repo tow and recollect
fur most appreciation in all aspects for your time to you much respect
my written renditions i create no relenting for any auditions
attempts to have my words play as a fiddle this starving artist is riddled
steaming to a simmer gulps i intake life glows from its glitter
humbleness it instills my boiling point brought to now chills
through my sweet to the crossing all teas natural remedy my heart spills
peaceful vibrations and herbal tea make for tranquility
it seems at stake dare i question my gumption in this state?
the uncertainty within my self conscious assumptioning
one day may i have a family in which i diminish such questioning?
Longing to love and see cultures in all nooks and crannies
teas indigenous to their land maybe mixed with berries
The idea of having jammies in them my little half uncanny
well ill be sipping my teas of all varieties til hit with the whammy
my sweet to the crossing all teas natural remedy my call always answering
– Joejuan Byrd
whether green, oolong, black, or puer
tasting the full spectrum offered by the leaves
make us more whole
– Peter Christy
Tea Routine
Days are defined by
what tasks are done.
Week days – official work days
Weekends – chore days
There is a rhythm
There is comfort in the pattern .
There is solace in routine:
We sche
dule meals
when to wash our hair
paint our nails
When to exercise
When to drink tea
When to breathe deeply
When to hope
When to love
Then war comes
No routine
No comfort
No solace
New pattern-
Fear
Death
Homelessness
Smoke
Guns
Weekdays
Weekends
Every day
– Joann Condino
Tea Time Ramblings…
We built a fire for comfort to relax
Maybe green tea to ease our backs
We put a kettle on to boil
Knowing our Pu-erh will never spoil
Soon we dreamed of taking Ataya in Dakar
While sipping rooibos from afar
Afternoon tea in London sounds so nice
We’d drink Earl Grey once or thrice
In the kingdom of the Czars
We’d make our tea with samovars
Over to the Outback for a cuppa
Make it from a root of yucca
In South America there’s no debate
Yerba Mate is just great
Back home with words of Lao-Tzu
Camellia sinensis, we love you!
– Elizabeth Copple
Friendship Tea
Come sit and spend some time with me
And while we chat, we’ll drink some tea.
In this busy world of ours
There’s hardly time to sit for hours
To share a friend’s company.
We’re rushing here and rushing there
And don’t have time to sit and share,
A hope, a dream, a laugh or two.
I think it’s sad, don’t you?
So come and spend some time with me
And while we chat, we’ll drink some tea.
– Barbara Flahrety
with clear awareness
my father turns his tea bowl
clockwise twice
– Goron Gatalica
Warm, soothing tea
Golden liquid fills my cup
And I swallow joy
– Cristle Griwach
Sipping Simultaneously
Tea for mom means
Lipton tea bag
hot in the morning
iced and unsweetened by day
refreshing and bracing
I keep some on hand
for when she comes over
and for home remedy
like she taught me
for a stye or puffy eyes
nothing like a hot tea bag
with the strength to pull it out
I like my tea
black or green
loose leaf
and ripe with fruits
pomegranate, blackberry
or smooth vanilla black
a favorite
but also unsweetened
hot in the morning
iced tumbler by day
I’d give anything
to sit together again
laughter entwining
like steam
over a cuppa
and talk as only
best friends do
we agree on hot tea
in the morning
wonder if we’re sipping
simultaneously
– Kimberly Harrison
To Love
Step 1
Oh…the amber flow from the porcelain tip to the rounded-but slightly chipped…to get to where I now need to go—in my heart…I need to get…to go.
Slight splash up, bottom of this little, china cup, perched on an unmatched saucer that smothers a cloth linen I tarry from below.
I revere as I cradle all of you, because I wait…to my calming corner and more, a humble space here on a weathered chair out front on a simple, tassle-knotted rug just outside —through just one door…
And out I walk…
Step 2
I nest you, my treat, on a sun-worn, cream colored, yet dented-lightly table, piled with reading and rocks to hold them down—the wait for be too—my outside, peaceful, simple space
And this mid-day moment lands upon me with peace, and comfort, allow me to calm—to leave the combat or this morning behind—this is grace.
Spring-sun peeks through the might oaks above, to alight the snaky, slithered steam-swirls over the vessel to my nostrils—-inhale, relax…let go…breathe.
…and then the sip enters my throat rightly and suddenly stops me to close my eyes and revel…and all of nature is here—the sip—exhales—inhales—relieve…
Oh..my mind, reaches for small reading glasses, my book on the table calls to read and escape.
This is what life should be for all. I pray…relief beyond what simple breath can give…
I am now alive with full life and liveliness. Herbs and flora and spice to tell me—it’s ok to be and to live..
For a beautiful moment, I can read in my wooded cathedral at peace..
I sip-slurp slightly—more, just a little more warmth from this warmed cup, and all my senses are alighted and aligned to relief.
I then speak to myself-inside my head—and laugh—as I speak to my beautiful tea creation this universe gives me- to free me—to bind me to this love of this place—which frees me to love myself today—you —you all—all of you around me, things that bring me to this space—help me be whole.
And cheers this beautiful creation of warm, refreshment…and to the beautiful creation of space…and they all warmly whisper back to my soul.
Step 3.
I hold my beautiful tea now forward with both hands—and nod to it—and to all…and —now, because this space and love in my heart allows the worst to leave—to myself—and the worst is over and done…
The stress…the hurt…the pressure…whatever brought me here is gone…
Final step.
I love you.
— T. L. “Drew” Kreuser
“UniTEA”
UNITED We Stand, Divided We Fall…
To Bond in “UniTEA” I hope to in Inspire us ALL.
We are more the same than we are different,
And Sharing tea, conversation, & respect for each other
is time well spent.
We all have pride in our cultures and family ancestry,
And if you search you will find
We may share a branch on our tree.
So much is trying to divide us, but we need to hold strong,
Because to our World
We ALL belong.
Skin color, race, identity, ability, religion, and class…
Let’s cherish us all so the division won’t last.
I foresee our friendships beginning to brew
Into much like a cup of tea,
A special blend of me and you.
I believe our goals for “UniTEA” are within reach,
and as a model of “SolidariTEA” for all generations, let us teach.
So, we shall give of ourselves to each other…One and All,
Because UNITED We Stand and Divided, We Fall.
– Gina Lane
Hot bubbles boiling
Rising mist happiness
My tea kettle sings
– Heather Lavoie
A haiku for you
Come, drink tea with me
We can talk of happy things
Our world needs to love
– Marilyn Miller
every night
he raises to his mouth
her tea bowl–
whose idea was it
to glaze it with the moon?
love
– James Norwood Pratt
Tea as Transportation
Soothing scents wafting from my mug
Allow me to gently ponder the world in its complexity
Yet allowing me to travel through my daily trials
In the most comfortable of vehicles.
– Gloria Slomczynski