The day has drained my soul; there's no time left to wait,
I slap the kettle lever, fire the engine high.
I need a rescue mission for my current state,
and grab the grey and white ceramic of my eye.
My absolute favourite mug. The water starts to roar,
It sounds like trouble bubbling but it's just the start.
The Rooibos bag goes in, those lazy tannins pour,
A slow, dark comfort creeping right into my heart.
But wait-where is the ginger? Panicked, at top speed,
I grab my mini grater, shredding till it hurts.
That fiery, fresh root is the remedy I need,
Because a bit of ginger always sparks and flirts,
Then boom - raw honey! Heaven drops into the chill,
with floating spicy to titillate and thrill.
Rooibos tea is a family favourite in South African homes.
Extra bitter are the tannins found in this ink
My ignorance caused this heart to sink
Remembering you waving on a grassy knoll
Ice is all that covers it now just as it does my soul
To think I saw something behind an arm, it was bent
Found to be just as fake as the poser that placed resent
But saturated I was in the possibility of who
All opportunities to rekindle squandered by you
Late the music played in the smoky air
in our noir Bogey and Bacall vignette,
and hands that stroked your silky chestnut hair
held a red wine and lit a cigarette.
Girl, I chased you until you caught me
and when I was lost it was you I found,
for in our chase and hunt unknowingly
I was the fox and you the foxhound.
Your soft skin smelt of aloes and citrus -
the smudge of fresh lipstick on your wineglass,
and what covet it was those lips to kiss -
in wine there’s truth! In vino veritas!
Those bitter tannins with your sweet imbue
filled my soul and besot its true love's claim,
girl, I knew no one could save me but you
and so we played our wicked game.
Lying there next to you in the moonshine
I did want for love but wanted more -
the feel and taste of that full bodied wine
and a lock and key to your cellar door.
Your soft skin smelt of aloes and citrus -
the smudge of fresh lipstick on your wineglass,
and what covet it was those lips to kiss -
in wine there’s truth! In vino veritas!
Written: April 2013
For Les
A beautiful ride off into the sunset, and your horse
passes through a blooming cherry orchard bordered by cedars;
your leather saddle was rubbed with high-quality tobacco yesterday.
It's a big herbal cherry sun that is setting, and you can taste it,
with a sprinkling of spices, and the satiny union of the tannins are upon you,
so subtle that you wish for more at first; you must be patient as the velvet embrace deepens, insinuating itself deep within you in a silky smooth process, until a final slow-motion fillip of astringency touches the front of your mouth.
The cork was wet and crumbly almost to the top.
Definitely time to drink this wine; wish I had more.
A great wine to drink in solitary contemplation, or quietly, with friends.
*Robert Mondavi - Rest In Peace, man, you died in 2008 at age 94, and you always believed in making great wine.
Tasting Note written in April, 2015.
let it breathe
reanimation for wine
too dear
to hell with tannins
drink coffee and tea
As the dew falls to the ground,
Sparkling bright and new as the sun rises.
The aromas of flora and life excite the senses
With the winds of early morn caressing the day.
Light and life, the lively feelings that become
Like the first taste of sweet elixir entering the palate.
A day like no other
It enthralls, pouring into the bright afternoon.
Tasting the day in its full bodied flavor of love
Only increasing the emotions as time spent with you.
As the day has let us breathe, evening settles the tannins of life,
With only you beside me to have enjoyed the time.
Night comes too soon...the glass to be refilled tomorrow.
Wasn't meant to be mine...
Or yours, or his
There was none to give
Foolishly longing for what I'd never...
you'd never... we would never be
How so vibrant yet empty?
Compassionate, heartless, evil angel
A lovely contradiction...so beautifully vile
Charismatic killjoy, a selfish philanthropist
A gripping lesson in bittersweet taste test...
This vintage is superb...a velvet mouth feel
Supple body...long legs...sweet kurant and spice on the front
But then tannins tartly dry the tongue
Robbing moisture with overpowering acidity
Dropping my glass, cursing the Vintner...
That I knew and wanted, leaves me a fool
Masochisticly chasing a trail of footprints
...Dissipating as the tide washed away any trace
She walked backwards inviting with a curled finger
wicked smile daring my passion,
tempting my attraction
I knew this game, vaguely familiar
Couldn't place the relevance in my memory
And still I followed....as my footprints vanished behind me
With that girl following them hurt and confused...
I love you when you're lucid
(or when your mind is going)
and even when the whiskers
of your confidence are blowing
I love it when your tannins
filled with acid burn my mouth
and even when you stop short
asking what I'm all about.
I love it when your voice
all crackling, sunlit, fills the room
I love you even though I'm mourning
and you left too soon...
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