Yiling Ding - Sweet Bitter Tea

Green tea is like
a metaphor for life
And most people will never understand
why bitter tea is sweet

Tea is not like coffee
It is strong but never
overwhelms
So its bitterness is
ephemeral

Like a small flower
it sheds away its outer shells
until finally
what is left is
the sweet nectar
So the aftertaste of tea
is sweet
And even sweeter
for it comes after
the bitter

So tea is a metaphor for life
And only those who dare savor
that initial bitter
will obtain tea's nectar
And only those who have savored
that initial bitter
will understand why
tea is sweet.

Yiling Ding

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/sweet-bitter-tea/