In Heaven, There is No Tea

But in tea, there is heaven. There is heaven in: The cold February mornings eating Grahams and San Marino tuna before rumblings on streets off to the dramatic river-highway of EDSA; The lurking on birds on old sky wires waltzing with death; The long wait for that lucky bus A amongst hundreds of passing bus Bs and Cs; The beat of speeding feet under 'Filipino time' on going to work (some going back to home); The silence of a running elevator carrying familiar faces everyday; The greetings from strangers to strangers passing lanes and bridges; The stares and curiosity before antique cobwebs and empty spider shell; The scent of second hand books filling dark drawers of every Book Sale stores; The march of shadows heading North bound lane and South bound lane like moths chasing for city lights; The solo walk to Paxton St. in close midnight hour hungry like a woodland bear dreaming of a healthy salmon feast; The patience it takes to unlock a vintage door-lock; The voices of same old DJs playing random classic OPMs on a jazzy Friday night; The last loud reading of the works of the great dead; The last talk to frog who acts like almost god-of-not-paying-attention; The last sacred romance with the moon; The last drink of low-fat milk before bedtime rituals...

...and more and more.



- ksm / 2015

23 comments:

  1. mm i want to live there in the smell of the second hand books...ha...love all the little sensory details you have woven into this...i could be there in that cold february morning...ha. and now you are giving me late night bear cravings too..smiles.

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  2. Nice, I can smell and walk along with you ~ I miss my native homeland specially now that its very very cold here ~ Hope you are well Kelvin ~

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  3. I too love all the details, and most of all the frog, and 'the last sacred romance with the moon'.

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  4. Wonderful detail here, Kelvin! You have evoked a sense of place and have given us so many sensory images to savor. I like how begin with the savoring of tea (how I do concur) and end with the low-fat milk as a bed-time ritual!

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  5. I love all the things you mention and the way you make us feel them in such a powerful manner and thus give them so much meaning. I am glad that I can find heaven in so many things in my life, if I care to look.

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  6. Painted many images with your words, magaling na sulat!

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  7. Oh the imagery, the richness, the wonderfulness of tea and books and that old moon.........loved every word of this, Kelvin! A feast for the senses.

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  8. very cool details in this... heaven in tea... i would agree..smiles
    the business and buses - sounds and unlocking the vintage door-lock... very cool...the smell of old books... thanks for taking us along...smiles

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  9. I love this sketch of heaven and love of life...wonderful Kelvin

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  10. This sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day. The daytime rush of office and work, and that night hunting poetry in old book. All those details of something that could be a normal day, yet comes back as something unique and special.

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  11. i can imagine being there again, in Manila? these little details brought back lots of memories.

    the title kinda reminded me of Sa langit, walang beer :)

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  12. luv the stream of consciousness in this piece

    have a good week

    http://myblog-verses.blogspot.com/2015/03/29.html
    much love...

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  13. The title and connected first sentence really do set the mood of this beautiful piece, emitting so many textures and layers of the senses. Both nostalgic and nowadays oriented, a feeling of gratitude for all one's blessings, is the reigning one.

    Poppy

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  14. Kelvin

    How lovely to find you here again. I had lost your Blog connections..
    Heaven is undoubtedly found at least, in a bookstore, especially one with relaxing character. I could remain there for days!! of course, being from Northern Ireland, I am a tea lover!!

    Best wishes, Eileen

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  15. Lots of goings-on and interactions in the day! But yet at the end of the day one still remains strangers sipping low fat milk. It's a never ending ritual really! Great lines Kelvin!

    Hank

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  16. 'the last sacred romance with the moon', how lovely :) Heaven is in all of these things. We can all find it just by looking. Great writing!

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  17. Your writing allows me to share your experience, to taste and touch it. And, yes, there's heaven in tea but I hold out hope that there will be tea, or at least the comfort it provides, in heaven.

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  18. Very good flow for such a staccato of events.

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  19. Such beautiful first line. And the last sip... delicious.

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  20. Kelvin, Once again I find your poetry filled with magic. I like how the march of shadows move moth like towards the light. I looked at the moon tonight as I was driving home..that moon does hold romance.

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  21. This is wonderful, Kelvin. The details are just beautiful - vivid, human, exotic. K. Manicddaily

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  22. Nice to find heaven in the places and things we do daily. I love your descriptions. The flow of this seemed to bring out the hustle, bustle of the city.

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  23. Eye opening and wonderful--You have given me new suggestions of places I never thought to include in my sense of good. Thank you!

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Thanks for the kind words!

- kelvin s.m.