Aspalathus Linearis

I bring your morning

tea upon a tray.

Having finally

mastered the art

of never-spilling , cup

and saucer stilled—

not a single

drop to fall, like a petal

past its prime,

from a flower

born to fail, clenched

within my grasp

as though denial—

of its gradual, creeping

fade, its ability to

remember its name:

for better and

for worse—

there's no or

amid this love

I hold for you—

one hand

clutching a rose,

by the green

of its immaculate

stem: smooth, serene,

not a scratch

upon my palm;

the other just the

thorns, fingers

seeping blood,

like Rooibos

in a chalice, some

saviour’s sacrifice.

Andreas Gripp

February 28, 2025

Notes: 

Aspalathus linearis is a leguminous plant

endemic to the fynbos region of South Africa. 

Rooibos (pronounced roy-bows with a hard s)

is Dutch for “red bush” and the name of a red tea.

RF Image