My Mother’s Afternoon Tea by Joan Currie

My mother served
afternoon tea
at four o’clock
every afternoon
of her life.

When I was growing up,
one neighbor or another
would show up
for some orange pekoe tea,
poured into fine English teacups.

But mostly
they came for her baking:

lemon tarts, raspberry Danish,
sherry cake, and
chocolate fudge brownies.

They never seemed shy
about taking
a second helping,
or a third,

rarely leaving enough
for our family.

When I was older,
I asked my mother
why she was never invited
to tea
at their homes.

She smiled.

“There are two kinds of people
in this world:

givers
and takers.

I want to be
a giver.”