Taking Tea Copyright © Richard J Whiting 2011

Do you know how easy this is?
Making tea, tea and coffee?
Entertaining ten;
Six of tea, four of coffee
All so very easy,
Easy,
Easy.

Do you know hard this is?
Now Alzheimer’s our house guest?
Two of tea, three of tea
Of coffee, boil the tea
Three kettles, nine sugars
Fill the caddy with boiling coffee
‘Who wanted tea, coff…?’ It’s something like that…

None of this is easy.

So we all take tea
To simplifying this grey matter.
To stall that stalking bastard;
To fool him into a fake submission.

But he’s no fool.

Here comes the tea without milk;
The no-sugars or ten;
The tea without water;
The tea without tea.

No. He’s a clever bastard;
Here come four empty mugs
And an unquenched thirst.

So we make the drinks ourselves;
And for the fist time,
She is taking tea with strangers.