Book Party

This has been a weekend full of art and books, it seems. Today I went to the book party for the poetry contest. This is the same contest that Marina had previously won third place in her category. I wrote about that last year. This year, I had won an honorable mention, which meant the honor of having my poem published in a book that (I think) will be available in all libraries in Westchester. The greater honor was being able to read my poem to an appreciative audience.

Because I know I will be asked, I am reprinting the poem here:

Reading a Hot Drink

When I write,
I pour my soul into the words
Where it swirls with the ink
And tastes like espresso
Marbled with the richest cream.
But when my daughter reads it,
Its flavor changes.
She delights in the hues of dark chocolate
With bobbing white dots of mini marshmallows.
My husband savors it as warm mulled cider
Stirred with a cinnamon stick.
My mother sips my poetry as tea,
Earl Grey, hot, with lowfat milk
And sweetener.
My father sees my words in their simplicity.
For him, the aroma of fresh black coffee is enough.
And there has been the occasional friend
That scalds her tongue on the hot water
With a twist of lemon
And politely smiles as she passes it back.
I’m not offended.
My soul has many flavors
When I mix it with ink.