Archives :: Doug Tanoury
The Physics of Tea
Appeared in the Spring 2004 issue.
Sitting in the living room
Drinking tea with her and
Talking about special relativity
And the fact that the most distant
Galaxies are racing away from us
At 80% of the speed of light and
As she considers this
Pulling a wayward strand of hair
From her face, she begins to twirl it,
Worrying it between her fingers, and
I am touched by the girlishness
Of this gesture, as she says very seriously:
"Gravity is a fear of being alone"
I laugh
Setting my tea down on the table
Hearing the percussion click
Of a china cup meeting the saucer and
As she smiles the freckles on her cheeks
Gravitate together in Newtonian fashion
And I know now that
What holds everything together
Is simply deep attraction.
View bio information and additional poems published in Half Drunk Muse on the author's main archive page.
Copyright 1999-2008 Doug Tanoury.