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

Say what you mean
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
~Madlyn Epstein Steinhart, author “Put Your Boots on and Dance in the Rain”

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.

Poet Laureats

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.

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