Tea Time and Ernest
News: In season 1 episode 33 I wrote the poem “New Presidents Day” which I sent to the New President (Joe Biden)). Recently I received a “thank you letter” and in it he wrote: It is time for all Americans to set aside our differences, to try to understand one another, and to strive to make the promise of a just, prosperous, and secure Nation a reality for everyone.
One of the artists I love is Ken Burns and I found his last documentary on Ernest Hemingway very inspiring. Hemingway used language very powerfully to engage one in the stories he tells.
UNLIKE HEMINGWAY
I have never experienced war
or have been on safaris
to hunt and kill animals
or written a great novel
Instead I sit on the porch
in afternoon shade
watching the birds
happily discovering seeds
hidden in the grass.
And then that evening ,
we have our near Hemingway experience.
almost midnight
nine feet of muscle
The female alligator
lies silently in tall grass
at the house next door.
A wicked toothy grin
Shiny eyes staring back
waiting for dog snack
to walk past?
We love and respect our alligators,
and have taken away their land.
Carefully we asked her to leave
to walk back into the river.
nothing happens.
Trapper Ray is called
and appears,
It is a one sided affair.
Nooses, ropes, electrical tape
safely immobilized
a calming touch from his hand
on her third eye.
Together they lift her
into the long white box
to drive her away
so she will live another day
in a place far away.
Safety for her and us, we pray.
MUSINGS ON TEA TASTING
The kettle boils
212 degree water
is ready,
now the tea is brewing.
tea from India
steeping in Florida.
Darjeeling Dooteriah estate,
second flush.
Did the tea grower
in the Himalayan hills
envision all the places
around the world,
where the taste and aroma
would start our day?
Now is the moment of truth:
lifting out the golden filter,
the basket of swollen leaves.
leaving bright amber liquid
in the clear glass cup.
Now is the moment of truth:
smelling the musky aroma
sipping the sweet floral taste
with an oak-like finish.
So says the catalogue.
Eventually, I will get it.
I must try again
to experience the taste and aroma
of the Himalayas.
45 YEARS AGO
I was invited to Assam.
I never made it,
In the rainy season
one could be trapped
for weeks in the mud,
Planes held down,
roads sliding away.
Instead I enjoy their smokey tea,
sitting comfortably dry and cool.
EARL GREY
It’s time for Earl Grey Tea
Charles Gray
a jolly good fellow
Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834
Receive a gift of Chinese tea
that somehow absorbed
Oil of Bergamot
From Italian Calabrian Oranges
Now,
Not only was Charles open minded,
now the 2nd Earl of Grey
is immortalized every afternoon
at tea-time
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED
For a while everyone slowed down
travelled less, focused on essentials
The air became cleaner
noise pollution less
more animals came out,
It is Sunday now,
The emerald grass springs from the ground
there is a barely a sound
almost back in the days of silence surround
For over a year we have lived differently
flora and fauna have responded
Baby animals are stronger, fearless
humans, have ben nourished by nature
we have again seen their presence
as equal partners on planet earth.
Today our technology
has created safe distances
for us to see the wildness
and the wilderness.
effortlessly sitting in our homes,
sipping tea ,
we see places and animals
in microscopic detail
day and night
the beauty and variety
flashes past our eyes
humbling our minds.
Walk on the beach
feel the sand massaging each toe
Walk in the forest
see the play of sun and shadow.
Walk in the swamp
feel the warm water
swirling around your legs.
Stroll across the Savannah,
Struggle through thick jungle,
Slide and slip over sand dunes,
Float down the river,
Surf on the waves
Now it is time to protect
Natures diversity
so it will be here forever
For future generations.
©MartinStrasmore2021
Beach Walk
sand stretching toes
digging in
gentle lapping waves
night crown heron
Bob the builder
