
Wake up! Wake Up!
Don’t want to.
But if you had some tea?
ODE TO A TEA BAG
by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer
It is the bleakest of
mornings
as I crawl from my bed,
red-eyed, rumpled, and
decidedly unrefreshed.
My right hip seems not to
be working,
my left shoulder has a
kink,
already a sinus headache
is brewing
and, oh, Lord! — look at
my hair!
Limping, snuffling,
creaking, moaning,
I make my way toward
the kitchen . . .
grope about in the dark
for the kettle,
grope about in the dark
for the tea tin,
turn on the stove, feel my
spirits rise up
as I reach for a cup in
needy anticipation.
Thank you, God, for the
glorious gift of Earl Grey.
~ from She of the Rib: Women Unwrapped (CRM Books, 2006)
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Sound familiar? I think Ms. Ferrer must be spying on me or reading my mail or something. How did she describe me and my morning routine so well?
What’s that? Yours too?
I guess we’re all in this together. Have you noticed that with age it gets harder and harder to get up and going? Oh the grogginess and slowness! Oh the struggle to move!
Not that I was ever one to bounce out of bed, kick up my heels, and burst into song or anything. But man! It’s become quite a challenge lately.

I’ve never been a morning person (no phone calls before noon, please!). One of my college roommates even called me Grumpy. I think ‘Silent and Contemplative’ would have been more accurate. Some of us simply prefer to greet each new day with a modicum of gentleness. 🙂
In any case, this poem made me smile in recognition — a welcome bit of levity in these dark times. BTW, did you know Jayne Jaudon Ferrer is the one who launched Your Daily Poem back in 2009? If you’re a subscriber, you probably already knew that. Well, I just found out after many years of enjoying the site. See what I mean about being slow to wake up?
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BOOK GIVEAWAY WINNER!
Thanks to all who entered the giveaway for JOEY: The Story of Joe Biden a few weeks ago. Things are getting exciting (and nerve wracking), now that the election is just a few days away.
After several cups of Earl Grey, Mr Cornelius (who isn’t a morning person either), picked the winner, who is:
🏈 ZACHARY SNYDER!! 🏀
🎈CONGRATULATIONS, ZACH! 🎈
🎉 WOO HOO! 🎉
We know you’ll enjoy the book!
And thanks again, everyone, for your comments and enthusiasm. 🙂
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La la la la Lovely Linda is hosting the Roundup at TeacherDance. Waltz on over to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Stay safe, be well, wear your mask, and VOTE (no more malarkey)!
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All set now and ready to go!
What’s your morning high octane drink: coffee or tea?

*Copyright © 2020 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.