The Cheerfulness of Teapots

(For Sue Gee)

The cheerfulness of teapots
rests not just in their perfect shape -
matronly comfort, new baked cottage loaf,
full breast with nipple lid,
the rakish angle of the spout,
Darby and Joan of form and function.

The cheerfulness of teapots
swills in the tea itself -
the sharp-dark tang of tannin,
once-banned steamy stimulant
reviving wake-up-cup
antioxidant, heart warming.

The cheerfulness of teapots
encompasses a culture -
Aladdin’s lamp of Englishness
one rub brews up colonial guilt
full sailed clippers, cucumber sandwiches
only defence against the blitz.
The cheerfulness of teapots
sings in their implication -
A teapot is for sharing.


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