
Bitter Brew
I think the mind is like a teapot
Experience; the sediments we accrue
And when our water's brought to boil
We’re a mix of flavor’s old and new
In murky sludge that clings to bottom
Residue of what’s been left behind
The settled fear and hope and weakness
And all the strength we’ve yet to find
Though we may not always taste it
Sometimes our senses veer askew
And we are felled by our own poisons
That steep inside life’s bitter brew
We preach forgiveness and acceptance
But how does anger cease to prey
When the broken cup we’re drinking from
Reminds us we’ve been thrown away?
The debris left from pain and anguish
Lurks in the darkness we have faced
And though it never fully washes clean
It can be confronted and embraced
No sense in trying to kill that taste
Until we’ve renewed that rancid pot
And learn to brew amazing potions
From all the finest leaves we’ve got
s. paul (July 2022)