Tea Chest~by Paul Lenzi

 

 

Tea Chest

“Reception of Mysorean Hostage Princes” by Robert Home

relic of the raj

piece of home

in an alien land

genteel reminder

of the mission

self-appointed

to civilize savage

motifs of a pagan

subcontinent

bring to it gifts

of a centralized

democracy tying

a noose round a

feudal archipelago

all in the interest

of primary goals to

commercialize via

monopoly vast

untapped resources

leaving behind a

three century

legacy still in debate

as to how much an

ancient admixture

of cultures was

either severely

demeaned or

enabled to stand

among moderns

politely discussing

the tides and the

times of the world as

they sit down to tea

 

 

From my books Onionskin and Legacies (vol. 2)