A Stick of Cinnamon
I start with a stick
of cinnamon
drizzled in honey
from some Virginia hollow,
too sweet, perhaps,
to move our conversation
beyond more talk
of the art
of making perfect
cups of infused tea.
You watch
as hardness softens,
focusing what soothes
in the heat that dissipates
and curls into steam,
stinging our eyes.
Before I've had a chance
to bring rim to lips,
you notice that crack
I've finally resealed.
© 2013 Maureen E. Doallas
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
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16 comments:
Oooh.. this poem resonates with mystery and miracles.
Lovely, Maureen. I appreciate that crack, which I see as a vulnerability in the relationship.
This begs to be taken in with all of one's senses -
fantastic!
Oooh, I'm seeing, smelling, and tasting it.
Reading your poem must have been a sign or something. I was just fixing to go get me a cup of tea-infused with cinnamon too!
The details of cinnamon sticks and honey, and at the same time a silence from reality that speaks more than words... doesn't sound good for that relationship.... hope it works out,
I think the focus on the details of the tea and the cinnamon stick hides the crack in a relationship in need of mending. Hope it works out smiles :-)
Warm & spicy. I love the friendship connection, here. Wonderful!
one of the best things of our intimate relationships is the noticing of those cracks...and not letting us hide behind a cup of tea...
I love the way you used this metaphor. Wonderful poetry.
ohhhhhhh I thought this was about tea with honey until I got to the last lines.
Reminds me of your conversations with LL that we get to overhear on the Tweetspeak blog.
I so enjoy your work, Maureen.
I was just writing somewhere abut the poet who went by the initials H.D. (in real life Hilda Doolittle) - a poet who remains one of my touchstones - and here you are, in your brief lines and subtle nods to the imagist movement, and your lines remind me so much of her, that I want to take up a book of hers to read.
SPICY!!! Great job!
" . .too sweet, perhaps,
to move our conversation . . ."
Once the focus shifts, perhaps the cinnamon and honey inundate the bitterness.
Please invite me for a cup sometime. I will enjoy the remedy.
Cheers!
Hardness and softness...there's an interesting tension in this poem (and so much unspoken about the relationship between its characters). The opening is so inviting, and then there is a shift in energy in the closing lines....very intriguing.
I especially enjoyed the symbolism between tea and relationships.
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