is to steep green tea
for only a few minutes
at well below the point
of boiling to lightly
bring out its soft
floral Buddha nature
and they are right, the way
they are always right
but what they don’t say
and don’t know how to say
is what happens when you steep
used leaves for a long time
on a cold foggy morning
and the thick scent of old
leather, dense mineral tang
with deeper nature, and none
which is what emeralds
would taste like
if we could drink them, each
facet sharp, a reminder
of everything
hard and beautiful
we must leave behind