Maharaj Kaul

A cup of tea is a balm to the stressed life,
A replenishment of energy,
A change of mood.

What is the miracle in the marriage
Of tea leaves and hot water?
We only know that a splendidly tasting and aromatic
Mood-transforming brew emanates.

Civilization is woven in cups of tea.
Every effort, however ambitious,
Ends in tiredness and some disenchantment:
A cup of tea restores us to our primal vigor.

A cup of tea does not give a crashing euphoria
Or a seductive drunkenness
But stimulates a soothing state:
Palpable tranquility, sensuous serenity.
In a tea cup you see a different universe.

We have to squeeze a tea-break from
The clutches of high-stress life we live in,
We have to defeat the forces of our culture temporarily,
To create a moment for ourselves,
To continue our dream.

A cup of tea opens a door to another realm,
More settled than ours, more hopeful, more inspiring,
Where there are no rewards and no punishments.

Where a journey is more important than its destination,
A commitment is more significant than its culmination,
Success is less important than the resolve to achieve it.

A cup of tea is a joy forever,
A float in tempest-tossed existence,
A window on another world.

Suffern, N.Y. 12.8.09