Tea Cake
Tea Cake is an older poem of mine that was surprisingly easy to write. It was originally a part of a monthly poetry challenge, where the word for the day was “tea cake”, so I used it as a metaphor for love.
If you haven’t baked before, you should know that it’s a very tedious process. Even the finest ingredients can’t act as a substitute for love, for the absence of it makes a cake no different from something commercially made. So, the tea cake in this poem embodies the love that a woman possesses toward her loved ones.
This piece is dedicated to my mother and to all of the incredible women in my life.
Tea Cake
In the taste of each buttery crumb
that lingers on the tip of my tongue,
in each dusting of coconut flakes
over the tempting sweetness she bakes,
I see a love so honest. I taste a love so true.
In the layers of cream frosting spread on each side,
topped with servings of sour-sweet fruit now dried,
in the powdered flour that hides no imperfection
from common eye, the taste of home is nigh –
never too far but always in my heart.
Love has brought us together – I know this to be true,
and I know now that I am fortunate, as are you.
