Leaves by Sara Teasdale

 

 

Fall/Autumn is a melancholy time of year. Days are getting shorter. There’s a chill in the air. The end of the year feels like it’s approaching so fast. I think it’s also a beautiful time of year. The leaves are going out in a blaze of glory. Sara Teasdale is one of my favorite poets, so I thought I’d share one of her poems.

 

 

 

LEAVES

 

One by one, like leaves from a tree
All my faiths have forsaken me;
But the stars above my head
Burn in white and delicate red,
And beneath my feet the earth
Brings the sturdy grass to birth.
I who was content to be
But a silken-singing tree,
But a rustle of delight
In the wistful heart of night—
I have lost the leaves that knew
Touch of rain and weight of dew.
Blinded by a leafy crown
I looked neither up nor down—
But the little leaves that die
Have left me room to see the sky;
Now for the first time I know
Stars above and earth below.

 

Sara Teasdale 1915

 

Making Tea: A Guide

 

It’s getting to be that time of year when you might want to end your day with a nice soothing cup of tea. Add a little lemon, sugar, cream, whiskey…whatever…

Here’s a few guidelines to follow…

 

1--Bargain with the local witch for her best copper kettle.

 

2--Be vigilant.

 

3--Take her second offer. There will NOT be a third.

 

4--Take the long road home, because there is no other road to take.

 

5--Pray you make it back safely.

 

6--Cross your threshold.

 

7--Cross your heart, hope to die. It is the humane alternative.

 

8--Shoo the goblin from the kitchen.

 

9--Open the taps.

 

10--Wait for the water to run clear. Try not to think about blood and sin.

 

11--Fill the kettle.

 

12--Ponder the meaning of ‘full’.

 

13--Close the taps. Offer thanks.

 

14--Ponder the meaning of ‘sacrifice’.

 

15--Light the stove.

 

16--Be prepared to sweet-talk the flames into existence. Fire is a fickle thing.

 

17--Set the kettle on the hob.

 

18--Boil the water until it screams. It will feel cruel. That’s because it is.

 

19--Unearth the bronze chalice buried in your garden among tangles of hellebore and rue.

 

20--Lose yourself on the way back.

 

21--Find yourself in the light.

 

22--Choose your tea. Chamomile for calm. Green tea for clarity. Deadly nightshade to purge yourself of your wrongs.

 

23--Steep for five minutes.

 

24--Flavor your brew. Honey and lemon for sweetness. Ginger and mint to soothe. Arsenic for revenge.

 

25--Sip your tea quietly. Keep your eyes closed. It is rude to peek.

 

26--Allow them to enter, to pervade, to absorb.

 

27--Allow them to guide you, but be wary.

 

28--They live in you now.

 

29--Treat yourself to a piece of cake with your tea. You deserve it.

 

30--You deserve this.

 

More guides

 

*How to feel again

*Nine things about being brought back from the dead

 

Disclaimer:

This guide is primarily for those of the British ilk. For Americans, just fill your mug with water. Stick a tea bag in it and microwave for 2 minutes.