Tuesday, January 8, 2013

January begins with cream (Poem)

January begins with cream,

fresh strawberries tucked into it — the kind you used
to get in Devon every afternoon
with a warm scone and Tiptree & Son's strawberry jam —

then the slow pour
of Jersey milk that changes forever
the amber glow of the full-bodied Prince of Wales

in white bone china. I measure just enough
to cloud the stain still
in the cup with your name on it.

© 2013 Maureen E. Doallas
_______________________________________

This month's theme at Every Day Poems from T.S. Poetry Press is "Coffee & Tea". Seth Haines leads the kick-off with this playlist. Join us for a month of poetry on the subject. Add your poem in the Comments section, where you'll find another one of my own poems from a possible series I'm calling "Picking Teas".

One of my favorite afternoon teas, Prince of Wales is a blend of China black teas. It was created for Edward, Prince of Wales (later, King Edward VIII), who gave Twinings permission to sell his personal blend using the royal title. In 1837, Queen Victoria granted Twinings its first Royal Warrant for tea by appointing the company the supplier of teas to her household. While it retained its long-held warrant, the company in 2010 suffered scathing attacks for transferring its tea production outside the United Kingdom.

15 comments:

Louise Gallagher said...

How romantic.

all of it.

Your poem.

The story.

the tea sipping.

HisFireFly said...

"the stain still in the cup"

this resonates wild

Kathleen said...

A creamy poem!

Anonymous said...

Very vivid! I can really see, taste, and feel this.

Tashtoo said...

I now harbor a whole new respect for tea...this was brilliant!

Brian Miller said...

first...i love strawberries...smiles...no cream for me, i like my tea and coffee black...the name in the bottom of the cup is a great touch maureen...

S. Etole said...

Savoring ...

D.M. SOLIS said...

Love the poem and the history--thank you. I so much enjoy it when you post your wonderful writing too.

Peace and continued good things for you, Maureen.

Sincerely,
Diane

Patricia said...

Well, now I'm hungry! How lovely... and I love the name on the cup. = )

Dick Jones said...

Rich and sensuous.

Wolfsrosebud said...

loved the description of this piece... lovely write

Jeff said...

"the cup you used to use", and "the cup with your name on it." For me, these two lines make this poem about (no, not tea!) loss, and the way routine can help us both remember and carry on. Well done!

Unknown said...

All image and illusion, this poem is one of the best written that I've read all day.

Alex Dissing said...

What a tasty treat this one was!

Anonymous said...

That stain
ain't gonna hurt a thing
cover it up
and taste the sweetness