Ice Tea Recipe

On a hot West Virginia afternoon,
Take one handful of black tea;
Throw it into a blue crock;
(Blue rim worn off from sharpening
The butcher knife);
Fill crock with boiling water;
Pour in sugar;
Mix and stir;
Breathe the steamy sweetness.

Send the children down the railroad track
To borrow ice
From Maxine.
Remind them to run straight back.
Never mind balancing on the rails
Or running over the ties
Makes the little one dizzy.

Pour cooled tea
Over precious ice.
Listen to ice crackle.
Drink.

Published in:
Chasten Gazette
Wild Sweet Notes: 50 Years of West Virginia Poetry