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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/-
Recent Posts
- Written on the Body, #24 — September 10, 2020: Anniversaries and Changes
- Written on the Body #23 August 10, 2020: The Incredible Shrinking….
- Written on the Body #22, July 18, 2020 — Corona Blues and Chemo-Therapy
- Written on the Body #21: June 15, 2020 — Pandemic of Racism and Police Violence
- Written on the Body, #20. May 13, 2020. Mother’s Day and Beyond
Recent Comments
- Lauren Burke on Written on the Body #23 August 10, 2020: The Incredible Shrinking….
- Joanne Traum Raffel on Biography
- Ruth Zilkha on Written On the Body 13, Nov. 24, 2019: Beautiful British Columbia
- Ruth Zilkha on Written On the Body 13, Nov. 24, 2019: Beautiful British Columbia
- Suzanne Foreman on Written on the Body, #15: January 12, 2020 — Welcome to the New Decade
Author Archives: Ellen
Written on the Body, #24 — September 10, 2020: Anniversaries and Changes
September already! The summer has “hurried slowly” (in Margaret Laurence’s words) past.
But I want to talk about anniversaries of events that happened right at the end of August — August 31 — and a few other times throughout the … continue reading
Written on the Body #23 August 10, 2020: The Incredible Shrinking….
A few weeks ago, I might have said this phrase applies to me: “The incredible shrinking woman.” Despite eating well, I was losing a few pounds that I didn’t want to lose, and, as I noted, was dealing with some … continue reading
Written on the Body #22, July 18, 2020 — Corona Blues and Chemo-Therapy
The last post took a while to write because of so much happening in the world. This took a while because of internal events and changes.
First of all, today is my father’s birthday: born in 1907, he would have … continue reading
Written on the Body #21: June 15, 2020 — Pandemic of Racism and Police Violence
Note: I started this on May 29, but only completed it on June 15 — for reasons mentioned below.
It’s been a critical few weeks for the U.S., since the police killing of George Floyd, but the epidemic of racial … continue reading
Written on the Body, #20. May 13, 2020. Mother’s Day and Beyond
Hello — I know it’s been about a month since I’ve written; the days seem to slide by — as someone said, “day, day, day, day.” On the other hand, I am feeling well, and the time at home would … continue reading
Written On the Body, #19: April 12, 2020 – Pandemic continued
Easter and Passover — holidays usually marked by celebrations with loved ones, and this year only with the people we live with (if we do live with family or friends, not alone) and with many other friends and family on … continue reading
Written on the Body #18: March 22, 2020 – Pandemic!
I hope all of you reading this are well and safe, or if you and/or a loved one is ill, you will recover fully and soon.
Interesting that this post is #18, as 18 in Jewish numerology represents “Chai,” the … continue reading
Written On the Body, #17 – March 7, 2020: (W)Interlude
I began writing this two weeks ago, but have been in semi-hibernation mode: a combination of fatigue from chemotherapy and increasing concern about the corona virus, which would be especially dangerous for me to get given my weakened immune system … continue reading
Written on the Body, #16: February 1, 2020: Lunar New Year and other anniversaries
We have just had the Lunar New Year celebration — clouded this year by the new Corona virus in China and spreading throughout the world — moving from the Year of the Pig to the Year of the Rat. I … continue reading
Written on the Body, #15: January 12, 2020 — Welcome to the New Decade
Welcome to 2020. A friend said this year makes her think of 20/20 eyesight — so may this be a year, and a decade, of clear thinking and deepening, widening perception.
January is named for the Roman god Janus, who … continue reading