Thoughts in a tea cup

(A poem inspired by the beautiful image above...)

The sun rises lazily over the eastern hills

A cool breeze wafts in ever so gently

Carrying with it the fresh scent of earth

And of fragrant spring flowers in bloom

We sit around a table outside our home

In the green valley between majestic hills

The wicker chairs are wet with the morning dew

Greetings are spoken, we pour out the tea

And caress the warm cups with our cold hands

Conversations flow, as we sip the brew, slowly...

I feel a sudden rush of warmth deep in my being

Is it from the ginger root steeped in the tea

Or from the sun that is now well over the hills?

Or from the love I am surrounded by this morning

From three generations of my family around the table?

Tomorrow, we will all be gone our separate ways

To chase our dreams, to fulfill our duties

But I wonder if someone can tell me this:

How much ginger in the brew, and how much sun

Would I need to feel this warmth again

When I sip tea all by myself, someplace far far away?

A lonely rooster cries a sad note from somewhere

And brings me back to the present moment

I hear the end of grandma's joke, and laugh along

I mustn't wander off in my thoughts, I tell myself

I must hold on to these precious moments now...

Every story being shared, every tease, every wink

The sound of laughter, of love, of the birds singing

The scents of the tea, of fresh earth, of flowers

The cool breeze on my face, the crisp chill in the air

The slanting rays of the sun, the dampness of the dew

The feeling of grandma's wrinkly hand over mine

The warm golden glow that washes over us all...