Time
And tea
PG Tips of course
Although this is more my preference than yours
Made in a mug rather than a pot
You’d never admit you prefer it this way
Tradition has to count for some things
But tradition is more often just the way things have always been
Time capturing another prisoner
And time has ravaged so much
Stripped away sight
And with it reading
Stripped away hearing
And with it television and radio
Stripped away memory
And with it our shared past
Stripped away comprehension
And with it meaningful conversation
Stripped away mobility
And with it the world outside this hospital bed
What we have left is tea
A shared passion for a commonplace habit
A British stereotype all the more ridiculous for its authenticity
Taken the same way – milk, not too much, and no sugar
Whereas at home we have our preferred mugs
Two each for the logistics of homebodies
Here at your bedside, I have a travel mug from my favorite sports team
A talisman of that other life
While you have something plastic with two handles and a straw
That even so
I have to assist with
This communal act of love
This final shared enjoyment
In the last act of our over fifty-year play
This enjoyment of the benign
All that time has left us.
Word Outlet 