Heaven On Earth

Heaven on Earth:
in five sips


Light, swirling clockwise,
palest sheeps-wool-soft,
twisting,
spoon accompanies,
sweetness added,
deepest dark well beneath
the crema transports to glowing mornings,
early, the campanile chimes,
a smile as the cup clinks on its private saucer;
my mind alert once again.

A long afternoon, finger tips sore with demonstrative tapping,
a keyboard of letters,
shortened, from A to G,
so repetitive,
each time we push further into the convoluted
confusion as dots leap up and down,
and yet in my head I hear something so different
as fingers might dart and dance;
I sip deep, the fox across the mug stares,
baleful
but the scent of himalaya,
exotic breathed,
de-parches my shrivelled throat.

Bubbles,
rise slowly through a slice of citrus,
bite
my taste buds;
the bitter juniper,
the cut quinine;
a long slow sink
into evening.

Black vision
how can you be both transparent and thick as velvet?
Suffocating rich
your flavour, frosted blackberry intense
sucks me into your depths
as I sip and sip again,
addiction tasted,
I cannot let go as I fall
into your morello stupor.

The path keeps climbing,
dragging me upwards
as sweat drips down my legs;
I'm parched, exhausted,
I want to lie down
and never move again,
my tongue, dog-like,
wants to hang out and pant
but we have to keep pace;
the onward march
through pines and scragged rocks,
scratch brambled cables
grab and trap,
cool paradise,
gold-starred, blue-skied shrine so far,
impossibly invisible.
And all I want,
all I want right now is to tip
down my nose
down my chin
down my throat
cool water.

I half close my eyes against the sun and hear magic.
There, in front of us bursts the pounding spring,
its heart beat-bubbling into our hands.