A poem a day in April from Rutgers English PhD students and friends.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Book of Tea: A Game of Telephone



-                                           For Evan Dresman, Co-scribbler, Coffee man

Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly
prepared by pouring hot
or boiling water over cured leaves of the
tea plant Camellia sinensis, Face
Book says. 

Tea is an arrow manic beverage, commonly
prepared by snoring, hot
or boring—watch her!--over curious leaves of the
tea plant Camille’s sick face,
the book says.

Tea is a romantic beaver age, comma.
Lee (the Beaver) prepares by adoring his hottie
And pouring water over the curled leaves of the
plant.  “Cam ere, Millie!” Their sinuses face.
Says the book.

Tea is a roman trick—bevare!  Age in the common
Tree!  Prepare by ignoring hot or
boiling watcher with curled leg! “To the eves of the
tree plant come, sinners!  Face the
Book,” he says.

2 comments:

  1. wait, how did you do this?? I know there is a pattern but it is invisible to me!

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    Replies
    1. Hmm! Well, I began by searching "tea" in Facebook for inspiration. I came to the "Tea" page which has this totally dry description of tea (stanza 1). The description is actually linked from Wikipedia, so technically I should have written "Wikipedia said," but I didn't discover that until later. The following stanzas are my attempts to keep the sound of the original, while changing the words. It's not perfect, of course, but there it is! Now I think of it as what happens to a poem when you let it "steep". heheheheee

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