Times For Drinking Tea In China Poem by Peter Bakowski

Times For Drinking Tea In China



When you’ve bargained well at the market


When you’ve cleared stones from a field


When sheltering from rain


When the horse you’ve tethered quietens


When resting by a riverbank


When a stream’s fish resist your baited hook and shining lures


When envious of a neighbour’s larger herd of goats.


When dreaming of leaving your village, never to return.




When the landlord visits


When remembering lean years, the selling of family heirlooms to buy food


When the midwife has left, her good work done


When a fox has been amongst your chickens


When a lost sheep is found, bleating in a ditch


When you’ve repaired your bicycle, brushed the dirt from your knees


When you’re the only one awake in the dormitory


When far from home.




When thinking about what your parents taught you


When thinking about what you’re had to learn for yourself


When you’ve paid off a debt


When trying to understand a relative


When you’ve paced the room for too long


When discussing the afterlife


When the fog lifts from the path you’ve taken


When your tea canister is almost empty.



(from Beneath Our Armour)

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Peter Bakowski

Peter Bakowski

Melbourne / Australia
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