The Ritual of Tea

THE RITUAL OF TEA

This poem is written in the Sestina Form. From www.creative-writing-now.com "Sestinas are poems in which six words keep coming back at the ends of the lines in a specific poem." Enjoy.

The sun rises, ready for its cup of tea.
The morning ritual
begins with the rich aroma
of the tea brewing, quiet
in the warm teapot, meditation
of tea leaves melding with water, sensual

coupling like the sensual
dance of sun and moon. Tea
poured, eyes closed in meditation,
heart and soul ready for the ritual
of the refreshing quiet,
steam rising full of the heady aroma.

The morning fills with the aroma
of bodies moving in a sensual
dance of partnership. They quiet
and return to their tea,
and return to their ritual,
and return to their meditation.

The bliss of joy reaches through meditation
even as the aroma
of the tea follows its ritual
and calls forth the sensual
awakenings. Hot tea
sipped slowly, helps quiet

the soul. Once quiet
the soul can once again approach meditation.
The heart finds joy in the tea,
leaping in anticipation as the aroma
rises, swirls and twirls, sensual
and serene. The ritual

of the tea prepares for the ritual
of the day, a day no longer quiet,
a day when the sensual
is lost and no amount of meditation
can bring it back. The aroma
is of busyness and stress, not of tea.

The evening ritual begins with meditation,
finding the quiet even as the aroma,
the loving sensual aroma rises from the cup of tea.

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