Divine Ritual
In the beginning
god created coffee and tea
He cleaned out the old grounds
poured in fresh water
hit the switch that began the gurgle
Meanwhile
the tea pot began to churn
grew to a slight . . .
god removed it immediately
the sound of the whistle hurt his head
Having selected mugs
he poured hot water onto a tea bag
let steep four minutes
removed bag
added honey
stirred
while still swirling
added cream
watched as the galactic universe expanded
reaching and integrating itself
till becoming a smooth golden brown
He poured the coffee
black, strong
no funny business here
took them brimming upstairs
placed the tea on mrs. god’s bedstead
the coffee upon his own
climbed back into bed
resumed where he had left off
reading a mystery
—Larry Crist