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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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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Written on the Body, #39 – postscript, July 25, 2021. “Both and…”
Writing one thought often leads to another one that may seem contradictory, but is often the other side of the question, like yin and yang, and so the idea becomes fuller, more rounded. Both and instead of either/or.
So … continue reading
Written on the Body, #39: July 21, 2021, The Turquoise Raccoon Bandit (look on the bright side of life!)
The good news is that my new treatment has finally started. I have now had two IV infusions, July 8 and 15, with a third one on July 22. Then a week’s break, and the cycle starts again on August … continue reading
Written on the Body #38, June 28, 2021: Father’s Day, Summer Solstice, JuneTeenth, National Aboriginal People’s Day, and Pride
Much to commemorate this month. First, fathers, grandfathers, people who stepped into the role of father when needed. Memories of fathers in our past, alive or gone to spirit; relationships with fathers now; painful or loving memories; hopes for the … continue reading
Written On the Body #37, June 12, 2021: Entropy…and Beyond
In simplified terms, entropy is a scientific concept describing the way things inevitably move from order to disorder; to break down, to become more random, uncertain, and chaotic. (This concept is used in physics and chemistry, biology, and more recently … continue reading
Written on the Body #36, May 9: Mother’s Day
Still on my cell phone for internet, and even the cell phone had to be revived 3 times this week. I finally took it to the Mobile-Klinik in the Eaton Centre, which seems to have done the trick, thanks to … continue reading
Written on the Body #35, May 5, 2021: May Day
This will be short, as I am writing on my phone because our regular internet is not working, along with the cable TV, on the same system. Thank goodness for my Samsung smart phone! (which also suddenly stopped working for … continue reading
Written On the Body #34, April 4, 2021 — New Beginnings, and a Memorial
Easter Sunday today, Passover (Pesach) began on March 27 and ended April 3, and the Spring Equinox was March 20: all times of renewal, rebirth, and resilience, after tragedy, hard times, or just the cold bleakness of winter. The world … continue reading
Written on the Body #33, March 8, 2021: International Women’s Day
A short comment on International Women’s Day: a time to celebrate our minds, spirits, emotions, and bodies; rejoice in our achievements (those that have earned fame, and the small achievements and successes of everyday life, love, and work); mourn those … continue reading
Written on the Body, #32, March 6, 2021: Some Uncertainty Resolved, Celebrating Black History, and Some Good Points for Uncertainty
To continue the medical news from the last blog, the doctors have decided NOT to do a second course of radiation at this time, basically because I am not sick enough. So this is good news. After a thorough review, … continue reading
Written on the Body #31, Feb. 17, 2021: Hope and Uncertainty
Hello. sorry it has been a while since I wrote. As a friend of mine once remarked, “things have been moving at the speed of darkness.”
February is a short month, but with many holidays. February 2 is “groundhog day,” … continue reading