They punctuate each Sunday. The first one in bed, when I’m still groggy. The afternoon one as we look through the window at the weekend world outside. The very last, carried down the hall before the lights go off.
The big hand’s how long it takes her to finish, a half-gasp, half-sigh after every mouthful, still piping hot.
The little hand’s how long it takes me. I like to wait - when it’s lukewarm I down it in one go.
My flat’s full of clocks; flip clocks, digital clocks, several in every room. But round here we measure time in cups.
Proximity, and Revelation.
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Usually, things are just the distance away that they seem to be. Neither
closer, nor further away, just where they should be. Our eyes find them
and,...
1 day ago
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17 comments:
Oh, oh, oh.....so gorgeous I can hardly stand it.
Thank you for sharing your incredible talent so generously.....
I was going to say freely, but then I realized that is not a word I want to associate with your writing....I want it to make you rich, famous and..... Happy.
As usual, wonderfully written! I envy your ability to say so much in so few words!
I love that I read this while drinking my own cup :)
Wonderful. My favourite from this weeks 100 words posts.
I understand this time measurement, tea, together, spanning our distances.
Mine, too, Rachel. Drinking tea this way sounds so . . . English.
I love tea as well, even if, regrettably, I'm not from the UK. Though I can't say I drink it regularly enough to use it as a replacement for my clock. Now coffee, there's something to measure my hours by.
A cup in the morning while I'm waiting at the cafe tables outside work, a leisurely cup after lunch and a stop at the cafe for a relaxing hour or so of decompression after work, that's my day.
Tea is indeed the punctuator of days! Cup to cup is how I distance the tasks of a work day or the responsibilities of a day with the kids.
I love the final summarising of objects; the hint at a fascination/obsession, the cute final reference to the redundancy of those objects to enforce the vital role that a cup of tea plays in your life. One can never overplay the importance of tea.
I'm always so surprised that the British can drink tea right before bed and still sleep. For me it's even more potent than coffee.
Wonderful. You're just so thoughtful when you write. I appreciate all the work that must have gone into this week. "Eyes" is probably my favorite. It's sweet and paints a lovely picture of your relationship.
Thanks for a week of great reading.
Cups must be a far superior way in which to measure time.
I have measured out my life in coffee spoons
Prufrock
Lo – Thank you for being every bit as generous with your lovely comments and feedback. I don’t think my writing is ever going to make me rich or famous, I would be surprised if I ever got paid to do it. But I am happy when I write something and it says what I wanted to say how I wanted to say it, and if I never find anywhere that will publish the kind of things I write I think that might be enough.
Jenn – I love that too. Nothing accompanies a good spot of reading quite like a nice cup of tea.
Rachel – Thank you! I’m glad this was somebody’s favourite, in an ideal world each of them would be somebody’s favourite.
Grandmother – I think it’s a much better way of measuring – and valuing – time than conventional means.
Lance – Tea isn’t just for the English, believe me! Though we do seem to have an inexhaustible appetite for the stuff.
Sydneylk – I quite like coffee too, but I tend to drink coffee out and tea when I’m at home. My wife loathes coffee and can’t stand the smell of it, and if I drank it at home there would be an awful lot less togetherness.
Matt – I know the English are stereotyped as tea fanatics, but there’s a lot of truth in the final sentence of your comment. My wife wrote a fantastic piece about how much she loves tea and how important it is in her life once, let me know if you want the link.
Lady Jennie – Very odd. A nice cup of tea is perfect just before settling down to sleep.
Nicole – Thank you. I’ve enjoyed writing all week, small manageable pieces, and I hope people have enjoyed reading them too. I’ll definitely do it again, it’s a nice vacation from the longer pieces. I wrote a longer piece tonight which will go up tomorrow and it was really weird having all that space again, it’s like being at home after living out of a suitcase. But when you know you’re living out of a suitcase, you choose what you put in it very carefully.
Nari – I think so.
Anonymous – I do dare eat a peach. I just don’t much like them.
i like this
This reminds me of my childhood. Most visits to relatives were measured via tea (the older relatives) or coffee (the younger). The "tea visits" are generally remembered more fondly, which speaks well for Orange Pekoe and not so much for Arabica.
you make me really want some hot tea, now... if only i were allowed the appliances in my dorm...
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