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Listen to Ellen reciting poetry.
Jam Today
“The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday – but never jam today.” White Queen to Alice, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll.
Last season’s
peach and gooseberry
sweet-tart on the tongue
spread on toast, muffins,
bagel with raisins
and cinnamon –
spice of the sabbath
now her body is jamming
itself, cells stuck and clogged
blocking the vital
spring again
flowers jam in the garden,
jazz musicians gone wild,
cacophony of tulips
trill of daffodil
violin tones of violets
and weeping redbud,
one gooseberry bush
bursting into flower
soft fruit
longing
to be picked.
Ellen S. Jaffe, 2016
for Sharon H. Nelson (2 January 1948 – 12 June 2016)
published in Persimmon Tree, Summer 2017
http://www.persimmontree.org/v2/summer-2017/international-poets/-
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Author Archives: Ellen
Moving Part 6 — Arrrival!
So — where to start? It is definitely a new beginning — and an ending, and also an ongoing middle to this story. A new chapter. I arrived at the townhouse at Oak Street Co-op, on Cornwall St, Toronto, at … continue reading
Moving, Part 5
August 31 — D-day, or M(oving)-day. I spent the night at the Visitors’ Inn in Hamilton, after camping out on sleeping bags in my (almost) empty house for 3 night — the couch went to a refugee family on Monday, … continue reading
Moving – part 4
Last several days in Hamilton. There is a warm breeze blowing in the garden, and predictions of very hot weather — feeling over 40C today. The big move was done last Tuesday, in the pouring rain — though it cleared … continue reading
Moving, Part 3
It’s been good to see the Monarch butterflies, the roses of Sharon and the morning glories, the sun and even rain, these things that are beautiful ephemeral, living and do not need to be preserved, during this time of downsizing, … continue reading
Moving into Moving — Part 2
Coda to the previous post.
My grandparents on my dad’s side and my great-grandparents on my mother’s side were all immigrants — from Russia and Lithuania respectivly, to New York.
(I knew both Sarah, my dad’s mother, and Mary, my … continue reading
Moving into Moving
Maybe what they say about childbirth is also true of moving house — you forget how hard it is so you can decide to do it all over again.
I have moved quite a few times over the years, sometimes … continue reading
Another Birthday: Getting Older, Getting Old
Beware the Ides of March — my birthday, so a day I look forward to, as well as be-waring. This year I turn 73– hard to believe, but there it is! I was born in 1945, shortly before the end … continue reading
Solitude, Being Alone, Loneliness
The British government recently appointed a Minister to deal with the problem of loneliness. This, as well as several other things, has made me think about the differences between loneliness and being alone, or solitude — which can be a … continue reading
Another New Year
This year the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashonah, falls on September 21(sunset on September 20), coinciding with the Autumn Equinox. I had intended to write something on July 1, Canada’s 150th (official) birthday — but summer drifted away from me, … continue reading
Happy New Year
Here we are, on the second day of 2017, which like the first has dawned bright and sunny, at least in the Hamilton/Toronto area, and despite the bad news in other parts of the world. Let’s keep focused on Leonard … continue reading