Poetry for Wintry Days
The Three Tomatoes’ poets, have new poems that cover a range of emotions that will make you think, make you laugh, and pause for just a moment.
December 19, 2022
Silver Bells
I miss the mess
of tinsel.
Stray silver strings
used to show up
unexpectedly stuck to
the rubber heel of my shoe,
static clinging like glue
to all sorts of surfaces.
The mesmerizing metallic sway
caused simply
by people walking by
trees dying daily in living rooms,
is forever etched
in my memory bank.
Jazz dancing strips dangled gracefully
from the fir,
obscurely reflecting
the blinking and buzzing
string lights,
and the old fluorescent
chandelier bulbs.
Yesterday I saw a holiday meme
about growing up in the ‘70s.
The thin flat box
featuring Bob Hope as Santa
and a 49 cent price tag,
showcased extra long,
extra dazzling icicles,
only reminding me
that I completely forgot about the times
when tinsel was enough.
~Nicole Freezer Rubens, author “The Long Pause and the Short Breath”
Release and move forward
Not what others say and think
Think very carefully before you regret what comes out of your mouth
Quiet and Silence sends powerful messages very well.
There are many Hellos and Goodbyes in Life
Dreams and Fairytales come true and with that troubles
You revisit what works
You cast aside people when the friendship expiration date can’t be renewed
You will know the ones to hold on to because they will always be there and vice versa
Just turn around
Be open to new friendships but learn from the past
Choose wisely before they choose you
Letting go and moving forward is not a cliche
You can’t stay in neutral or in the past
Just how it is and you will find your way
FOUR HAIKUS II
Geese on Bleddoe Drive
White snow under a blue sky
This sweet abeyance
As fall is soon near
And hot days fall into past
Books remain still here
Green in the city
Causing a quick double take
Hallucination
Man sits on a bench
Surrounded by pink flowers
Is he blue waiting
~ Marjorie J. Levine, author “Road Trips”
Solitude
Not a bad thing
My habit is to correct it
As quickly as possible
But this time, I will go slowly
I will read
I will cook
I will write
I will knit
I will lay my head on your pillow
Where yours used to be
And dream
~Stephanie Sloane, author of “Dear Me”
On a Cold Winter’s Day
How did my life fly by so fast,
Where my present days have become the past?
As I lie wondering in my warm, comfortable bed,
Thinking and exploring the rich life I have led,
The memories wash over me like motion pictures,
Fast frames, little memories, even furniture and fixtures,
Of those people who made my life a joy or a hell,
Do I choose only the happiest moments to retell?
There’s so much information crowded in my brain,
Having gone through great happiness and also pain,
Why do I do this exercise, particularly today?
Because it is raining, it is cold and so very gray,
As I look back I remember old friends lovingly,
Parents, grandparents, that entire family tree,
My brother, the husbands, there were actually three,
All important, making a memorable life for me,
I don’t think it’s healthy to live in the past track,
But how do we move forward without looking back?
I am grateful to those with whom I shared a life.
~Carol Ostrow, author, “Poems From My Pandemic Pen”
Poetry is back in vogue and through The Three Tomatoes Book Publishing we have the honor of publishing books by four poets—Madlyn Epstein Steinhart, Stephanie Sloane, Nicole Freezer Rubens, and Carol Ostrow. Check out their poetry submissions each month.
