Nephtys

[Nephtys]

Same as in the word list thread, only up for C&C this time around. Have at it!

A farewell cup of tea

Two mugs in opposition locked,
Ceylon tea inside and brooding wisps
of steam construct a bitter bridge
bricked by silences and sips.

On the box a tiger threatens,
on the wall a clock. She looks
him in the eyes, he does not dare;
they have each other by the tail.

He wants amends, brings violets,
she refuses to accept the lie.
So he just goes, his bag weighed down
with heavy stones. They each bear

another pretty name.

/EDIT

[Ki-chan]

Oooo, I love this. Just a thing or two I had a question about though, and you'll have to excuse me if they are stupid questions, because I just got off work and my mind is still frozen.

"wisps of smoke" threw me off because I thought we were talking about tea and suddenly we jump to smoke. Do you mean steam, perhaps, or are we talking something like cigarette smoke? If so, I think we need a better connection, or perhaps a better severance from one idea to another, because the way it flows, it leads me to believe the tea is the one with brooding wisps of smoke, which does not make much sense.

What do the stones in his bag represent? I can understand a lot of the other imagery, but that one I'm stuck on. Sorry again if I'm asking questions for obvious answers, but humor my poor tired brain.

Otherwise I thought it was fantastic, bitter yet delicious.

[Nephtys]

you'll have to excuse me if they are stupid questions

Nah, they're alright questions, don't you fear.

wisps of smoke

wisps of steam indeed. it's the tea. I'll change it.

What do the stones in his bag represent?

The guilt of the girls he's cheated on her with. Some flower symbolism has the violet down for faithfulness - hence she refuses to accept them, as they are a lie. Another hint is that each stone bears a 'pretty name'. Too opaque? If so, I'd gladly rewrite it.

Otherwise I thought it was fantastic, bitter yet delicious.

Thanks a lot.

[Ki-chan]

Ahhhh, I see now. I thought the "They each bear another pretty name" might refer to them getting divorced, reverting back to their original last names, but I see the connection with the stones. Like I said, my brain was frozen. Lovely, lovely. I adore your writings, Neph, they drip with delicious symbolism.

[Nephtys]

T3h edit:

Two mugs, locked in opposition;
Ceylon tea inside and brooding wisps
of steam look to build a bridge
bricked by silences and sips.

On the box a tiger threatens,
on the wall a clock; its every tick a slap.
She looks him in the eyes, he does not
dare; they have each other by the tail.

He sought amends, brought violets.
Crushed as her faith, the petals dipped
in lie, they litter the kitchen floor. Silent
eyes scream at him to leave.

The bridge has fallen short, left him
floating in between. No words are left,
so he just goes, his bag weighed down
with heavy stones. They each bear

another pretty name.