poetry / culinary poetics
Mystery is a Hoax. Can We Read Last Chapter First?
the travelers’ tea
my guest arrives. i offer tea
stories land here. nods the breeze
time to face gusts
unknown scares me
each shock anew
why do nomads cross deserts
transgress oceans
traveler’s lust?
love of motion love of life
or necessity?
my heart savors a warm respite
~~books. wood. upholstery~~
ahh…the flavor of vintage
aroma of integrity
fruit of the earth~~bitter velvet brew
darkly lucid. richly common. born of
lacey sunlight. ever-changing moon
~~embrace me~~
soon might come gales
my cloak barely veils
let these wings open wide
let cliffs be my pride
yet i ask not for the next wander
yet i ask not attachment to wind be
boxes closed before tails of dawn
never saw glory of radiant morn
blood bonds. heartstrings
lunar tide be our troth
oceans rock on. rock on. rock on
waterbirds ride unpredictable currents
always on top always in control
while sore legs ferociously row
under water where no one knows
not to those who dwell in their puddle
who judge from their pond
jamming skull with tull
fins skirting rim. claiming
ownership to the edge of the world
do roots abandon trunk
can anchor birth from none
am i lost without form
what carries this skin sac and bones
most intimate are my guts
i ask for nothing
but this tea restoring strength
guts. against gusts
my guest comes. i offer tea
their story lands here. agrees the breeze
© Pseu Pending (Seu) 2024
Chapter One. Grade One. Language.
My guest comes, I offer tea (客人來, 我奉茶)
where ancestors roamed mountains and massive waters, the spirit of hospitality thrives
I am impressed by the unpretentious yet fascinating complexity of aged Kang Brick Tea (Kangzhuan 康磚) from the first pour. Brick tea producers steam and compress leaves, along with stems, blooms, fruits, and roots of neighboring plants, and…um…some unmentionables. Such is the brick of life. Aged Kang bricks stand out for having finer ingredients, a lower stem-leaf ratio, and being hand-hammered.
For centuries, while tea traders rode the vast network of the Ancient Tea Horse Road (茶馬古道) through Yunnan/Sichuan in southwest China to Tibet, and on to Nepal, India, Middle East, and eventually Europe, microbial fermentation happened in these compact blocks. Apparently this gave dark teas delightful nutrients. Today, tea makers carefully induce this process.
The brew necessitates healthy guts, is possibly anti-aging and anticancer. To vintage travelers, where historically certain minerals in fresh vegetables and fruits are not readily available, brick tea is a gem.
Oh yes. On the first sip, emotions of cross-continent relocations stream in. Then calm. Reassurance.
