Tea (A Poem)

Preface:

The original version of this poem was about 80 lines long with countless stanzas. It was meant to be a hybrid of a plotless story and a free verse poem. After a couple of hours of revision, I have created this poem, posted below, which will also be shared in my Fiction Writing class. I believe that poetry does come from the heart, but please do not be convinced that I'm a very sad person after you read this poem! :) As always, I welcome constructive criticism and would be happy to read what you think about this poem in the comment section. I hope you enjoy it!

Tea

Hayley Robinson (2015)

This morning as I was reaching for a snack,

only one shelf caught my attention.

The tea.

I aspire to be a “tea-drinker,”

but every time that I consider it

the idea gets scrapped,

and I reach for the coffee grounds instead.

There’s always one tea that I hate to turn down

because it’s so special to me.

It requires two kinds of tea:

Country Peach Passion and Raspberry Zinger.

There’s no specific reason why it’s my favorite.

But I know why I drink it.

It always gives me a taste of heaven.

It helps me remember what I’m reaching for in life.

I have a special way of making my tea.

First you should know that I never, ever substitute.

It is always Country Passion Peach and Raspberry Zinger tea.

I do not settle for anything else in this matter.

This tea is sacred.

I boil the water,

I reach for my special tea boxes and stevia packets.

1 bag of Country Peach, 1 bag of Raspberry Zinger.

Stevia. No milk. No cream.

And I taste it.

Have you ever seen a picture of a berry farm in the early morning?

When the sun has just come up from the horizon?

The sun is beaming, golden, bright, with big wide rays shining on the dew-covered berry bushes?

If taste was visual, that’s what my tea would taste like.

This morning, I remembered my former passions.

I dreamed of becoming a storyteller.

I would find characters from all over to tell the stories of real life--

heartbreaks, magical memories, and expectations vs. reality.

But the idea gets scrapped.

It’s been a while since I’ve made my special tea.

“Maybe I’ll make it today,”

I often say to myself.

But the idea often gets scrapped,

and I reach for the coffee grounds instead.

After all, people usually drink coffee to wake themselves up.