Tea Ceremony
Ray and I
forgot the red linen tablecloth;
instead we used a green and blue
one
my mother had given us
when we moved in
together. His mother did not know
until, by accident,
his sister mentioned lunch, two
weeks before,
and out of the bag it leapt.
She’s come
to tea to check me out
(Ray says not to worry,
but I will, for he is proud
and wants his mother’s blessing
even though
he’s broken her most sacred law)
to see
if I can hit the mark. Her
setting will be higher
than the North Shore Mountains.
If I don’t pass her tests,
life will go on
just as before,
but over time
the tea cup
will be
bro-
ken.
© Catherine Woods 2000, 2017
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