Today’s Tea Tidbit:
Living Through Covid-19
by Kelly F. Barr
The sun shines in my window
Setting my bleak world aglow,
Motivating me to face the day
Until my mood begins to sway.
So hard to stay cheery—
This confinement makes me weary
And I long for it to come to an end.
I need face-to-face time with friends.
Today’s Tea Quote:
“Tea, though ridiculed by those who are naturally coarse in their sensibilities will always be the favorite beverage of the intellectual.” — Thomas de Quincey
Melancholy Lady
by Kelly F. Barr
When her heart breaks
and her soul aches
and the loneliness sets in,
she longs for a tender touch,
a warm embrace,
and a passionate kiss.
An inviting smile
is all it would take
to make her feel alive again.
But none can be found
and she cries alone,
longing for home and rest.
Today’s Tea Tidbit:
“Writing is a job, a talent, but it’s also the place to go in your head. It is the imaginary friend you drink your tea with in the afternoon.” — Ann Patchett, “Truth and Beauty”
About Blue
by Kelly F. Barr
Blue can be a feeling of loneliness and sadness.
Blue can be a song about that very feeling;
Or it can be the sky on a sunny day, warm and clear–
Such a day can touch deep and bring healing
Of the lonely, sad soul.
Blue is a shiny gemstone dug from the richness of the earth.
Blue can be one of two birds — a bluebird or a jay;
Or it can be the sweet, round, juicy berries
From which mother bakes a pie in the month following May.
Some foods are blue, like blue cheese.
Blue can be the color of water in a glassy sea.
Blue can be the waves crashing on a crystal beach
Bubbling upon the sand and rolling toward my toes.
I play with the stretching tendrils, keeping just out of reach
And chasing them back to the ocean as they recede.
Blue can be the dress I wear to a special party.
Blue can be the color of my brother’s hair,
The cover of my favorite book or teacup.
It may even be the color of a comfortable chair.
Blue is beautiful to me.
Today’s Tea Tidbit: If you live in Korea, you might be enjoying a cup of Chrysanthemum tea — a favorite tisane, which is said to help ease headaches and fever as well as refresh the brain.
Broken, But With Hope
by Kelly F. Barr
I slip into the dark pit,
Wanting to be left alone.
Angry and hurt, I’m unfit
for the company of others.
Pain and numbness beside me;
They are my companions.
I always thought I was smart,
But your deception I did not see.
Your lies cut to my soul.
You made me a fool.
I am left with one goal–
To heal and find myself again.
I must again be strong
Relying only on the One above;
From whom real love comes,
And to Him only, I belong.
Today’s Tea Tidbit:
“Ecstasy is a glass full of tea and a piece of sugar in the mouth.”
— Alexander Puskin
Character Driven
by Kelly F. Barr
They introduce themselves to my mind–
Men, women, children.
We need you to tell our stories.
Their histories, backgrounds, and circumstances unwind.
Notes spill from my pen and a story begins
As my fingers tap, tap upon my laptop keys.
Sentences, paragraphs, pages, and chapters flow;
A plot of conflict and romance weaves.
Nearing the end, and someone new arrives
Upending circumstances, challenging romances.
I thought I knew where this was going; now unsure–
My mind spins as this new person drives.
As the climax hits and the story begins to dive;
A gradual grade descending;
One broken–healed; One rejected–accepted; One lost–redeemed,
Bringing it all to a satisfying ending.
He brewed his tea in a blue china pot, poured it into a chipped white cup with forget-me-nots on the handle, and dropped in a dollop of honey and cream. He sat by the window, cup in hand, watching the first snow fall. “I am,” he sighed deeply, “contented as a clam. I am a most happy man.”
Ethel Pochocki, Wildflower Tea
Moment of Strength
by Kelly F. Barr
I open the door and step outside
Where all is enveloped in white.
Everything’s clean in a sparkling tide,
Peaceful and silent to my delight.
O, for this moment to last a bit longer,
For such is a day of which I dream–
Where I can breathe and grow stronger
And live carefree, or so it would seem.
The silence is broken by delighted squeals.
Children pull sleds and leave a trail;
Amid a snowball fight, their laughter peals.
My moment’s gone. My spirit frail.
Today’s little tea tidbit is:
“The legend of tea’s origin is that it was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C., when a tea leaf accidentally fell into a bowl of hot water.”
Today I was inspired to write an original poem:
Too Long Summer
by Kelly F. Barr
Humidity and rain, humidity and rain,
The things of which this summer are made.
These summer months drag on and on
But I wish they were gone.
No sun and sandy beaches for me
As I prefer to remain burn-free.
Sticky clothes and sweated hair strands
Are more than I care to withstand.
I long for a cool breeze;
Colored leaves on the trees.
Scarecrows, pumpkins, Indian corn,
And gourds filling the horn.
Warm days, chilled nights
are my greatest delights.
The spicy tastes and scents of Fall:
My favorite season of them all.
Kelly F Barr 