Love for Tea

The music plays -
Bells, wood blocks, chanting, layers of voices,
The beauty moves something inside,
First sip of tea -
Delicious, complex, sweet, indescribable layers!
Oh my gosh, it’s romancing me! 
I burst out in giggles,
More more please! 

Second cup of tea.
Flavors of plum knock me back in disbelief,
I can’t stop laughing,
I let It romance me more

Suddenly my head bows to the tea and tears roll down.
I finally understand what Mudeng meant when she said,
”Every time I drink tea, it’s like going on a date with the forest 喝茶就像和生林谈恋爱”
It felt like all of nature was romancing me;
“Im so in love - 
With this tea, with this cup, with nature, with this aliveness that’s romancing me. 
I’m so in love, so in love!”

More tears roll down 
I bow to the cup of tea
The preciousness 珍贵 of this cup, this sip,
- this moment, 
The uniqueness 独一无二 of this cup, this sip,
- this moment
the next and the previous are not the same, 
I cry in sadness for never having it again, 
I cry in gratitude for being able to experience it at all.

All I can do is enjoy every millisecond of this sipping,
To be with it now,     and now,  and now, and now nownownow…

*Chan (Zen) Tea Training. Xilai Temple, Chengdu China.