Tea

You came to me on a ship in ornate caddies,

Once opened, air laced with heliotrope,

bergamot, rose, jasmine and broken

orange pekoe. I was in Ceylon.

You built empires and broke them.

I wanted you more, vital crutch:

to soothe, to soar, to sieve free

leaf, bagged, strained.

Sharon Woodcock’s poems have been published by Ink Sweat and Tears, Message in a Bottle, Anti-Zine, Atavic Poetry, Kumquat Poetry, The Zen Space, Ink Pantry Publishing and What the Dickens Magazine. Co-founder/co-editor of Word Bohemia.