Fred Aiken Writing

a conversation by the fireplace
while drinking chamomile tea
bought 4 years prior for just such an occasion,
then pushed back, further back,
into the pantry until it was forgotten,
dust settled haphazardly on each tea bag,
but it washed out all the same,
tasted all the same,
maybe a little malty, but what is a little staleness
among friends sharing tea