Two woman, Anita Holzberg and Ann Wainwright met over the internet with Bill Costley,
their common friend, whose wife Carolin had been Ann's good friend. Starting in
June '09, Anita sent a Cupcake poem to Ann's website cakecakecake, after seeing
the photo of cupcakes. The poem was about her grandson's first birthday party. Ann
liked that and it was the start of a wonderful exchange of poems from Anita to Ann and
Ann with color, photos, and lay-out savvy, presented them to the blog. Now, in 2010,
the two women so alike in spirit and interests, have started BetweenFriends, a new blog
site where they can combine ideas about their worlds. Ann lives in Northern UK
(Teesside). Anita lives in Northern California, Sunnyvale, (Silicon Valley where all the
computers are.) We share our lives on this blog and hope you will comment and share
yours too, dear readers and enjoy the "ride".

Thursday 29 September 2011

The lines go in and out - Anita Holzberg

The lines go in 
     and out
the infinite calm of being
     comes
when we are warm, cared for
     connected
as the blue sky and brilliant sun
      hum.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Tuesday 27 September 2011

I Eat a Peach - Anita Holzberg

Soft shades of morning
   I eat a peach
     peaches from my youth
          we were around a table in my den
                 Jersey peaches
            thick skins, soft insides
                       juice

                                 so I write these lines
                             affinity to peaches
                     thick skin, soft insides
                                sweet sounds of morning
                                    echo in my heart
                                            my mother at the start of this day.
                                   "Hello, ", Mom.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Sunday 25 September 2011

JIM - by Anita Holzberg

Touched
  I put my arms on your shoulders 
      you in the wheel chair
         you clasp my hands
              I said, "I love you"
                  you heard it
             " Thank you kindly for
         your kindness", Jim said
               


                    At the assisted living
             the halls washed 
                   the lobby bright
                        the rooms
            a standard bed
                       I hung around
                            49 minutes
                       a long visit
                              a kiss on the lips
                    Life does not get any better
                             than this.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Thursday 22 September 2011

Birds Fly By - Anita Holzberg

Birds fly by
  sentiments before blue sky
      Seasons turn
            I yearn


         for solace
            for balance
                 for life to have less
                    not more
                        for beings to sit down
                          at my table
                                speak
                           as  the Harvest Moon
                              like a lantern
                                   rises high in sky.
                              

Wednesday 21 September 2011

In Sickness & In Health - Anita Holzberg

In sickness and in health
    the months roll by
        the visits persist
                the place changes
                      the glint in your eye still there


                this time, I bought you a sky blue t=shirt
                        you blew me kisses


                  In sick+ness
                       and in H E A L T H
                          
        You are WALKing, now
                                    Your mind sometimes
                             returns, 
                                 the harmony we shared
                                            returns,
                                       one-second=flash
                                                   
                                         
                                      It is all about hanging in
                                                  for this
                                                God bless
                               

Anita Schiffman Holzberg
                                             still in my heart

                           G-d bless.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

In the Morning before the Morning - Anita Holzberg

In the morning before the morning
  Autumn brings its coolness
      a blast of air floods my deck


In this morning
    hope and faith light my path


I take the high road
   a new baby about to be born
      a new bike to arrive
           High Holidays
                  time moves so swiftly
                        Halloween coming soon
                           and the projects for Owen to be done
                                    In this morning
                                             peace wings in
                                                 the flower of the hour
                                                        meets up with blue sky
                                                               in time
                                                                  I will be caught in the patch 
                                                                           of blue, too.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg/Poet/Teacher

If By Chance - Anita Holzberg

If by chance I meet you
  you said nothing
     you gave nothing
           the silences got bigger
                 the glances smaller


If by chance I met you
  your face shining
     your eyes open to the world
          your cheeks dancing


If by chance
   you were next to me
       in a big supermarket
              our carts followed one another outside
                         our choices similar
                             I would take an apple from your cart
                                      I would eat it slowly
                                          showing its juiciness
                                                               on my lips.


If by chance
   I throw everything to the winds
         all manners of first meeting
               all hard to get
                  rolled out the window
                                I will hold your hand for a moment
                                                     over
                                                 in a casual hug
                             If by chance.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg
If by chance

Monday 19 September 2011

I Had it All - Anita Holzberg

Starstruck
  I wanted to be the star
     Emmy-bound
        I wanted to take the limelight
              I wanted that 
                 chance
       to be the twinkle in someone's eye
          to be the heartbeat
              to sit with you and taste your lips
          
               Yes,
          I had it all.


                    Please come back
              so I can have it again.


      S.O.S. to Jim
            Damsel in distress!
            Come Quick!

Saturday 17 September 2011

Halloween - Anita Holzberg

life is for the living
  I breath a breath of fresh air
      I let Picchu in
               cool mornings cool evenings
                      the Harvest moon presides

I decide to make a photo frame for Owen
  out of ghost fabric
         Halloween is coming soon
                  so is my knee surgery

        If by chance
                 I walk the path of
                      close to home
                          I clean a closet
                             clean the garage
                         write reams of poetry
                               as the day begins

                 I begin again in my heart
                       soft Autumn mornings
                              fleece jackets
                                 a jack o lantern
                                               lights the way.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Nona - Diane - by Anita Holzberg

felt
 soft smooth felt
   I hold it my hand
       I cut a piece to be
        a Halloween present
            for my grandson

Fabric played such a big part in
        my children's lives
           their grandmother was a sewer
                       her designs of dresses
                             for my young daughters
            we shopped together in fabric stores
                       now, her granddaughter
                                   a master sewer

In the remembering
   life is sweet
        all those years gone now,
                I am the grandmother
                      sewing for Owen
                                 not quite the same level
                              I go to fabric stores
                                   and hold it in my hands
                            tactile memories
                                    of Diane, my mother in law
                                              her goodness
                                            still here
                                                  in my life.


Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Toasting Lily Tomato Beef - Anita

Tomato beef
   pan fried noodles
     tomatoes fresh from the garden
         I have tasted ecstasy
            the voices around the table
               a Chinese woman
                         in her mid 80's
                   hosting a dinner party
                      the voices around the table
                        chatter of the highest order
                   set with a nice cloth
                            a centerpiece
                    a candle we light for the
                                chef
                     a Chinese cook of blue ribbon
                                status
                      Laughter persists
                               thankful guests
                                     together to
                                 share Tomato Beef
                                        in a Sunnyvale home
                                    the homemaker
                                              served with verve and dignity
                                        her specialty dishes
                                                  we unite in her presence
                                             the Harvest Moon comes down
                                                  around our shoulders
                                              as we toast Lily Chin
                                                        her kindness lights
                                                                  the room.


Anita Schiffman Holzberg
September 17, '11

JIM - by Anita Holzberg

Doors open
  sprinklers start my day
         their sound resound
              in my yard
 Picchu comes in from the cold


         Autumn days are here
           crisp cool mornings and evenings
                     the Harvest Moon
                            shines


   In the interim peace is where I find it
         in a piece of music
               singing a song 
                       baking brownies
                           dancing around in my kitchen.
                                 


                        I've walked these mean streets
                                   attentive to time and place
                                         the fog of so many years lifts.


What is about change?
                    the paths unknown
                           the paths unknown for my beloved
                                 I will learn once again
                                      how to sing, not just mouthing
                                                  the words.


                                    steps
                                       I walk with my walker
                                             in the path of righteousness
                                                    the good acts
                                                             in the forefront
                                                    the vested interest in You.
                                                          You feel my presence
                                                              in your every day
                                                                    I feel you still here 
                                                                               in my life
                                                                 like fresh salt
                                                                              on a Margarita.
                                                                       

                                                                                
                                                                        
Anita Schiffman Holzberg
                                                                
                                                                        


                                            .

Friday 16 September 2011

Cool Pools - Anita Holzberg

cool pools
  hot sun
    sauna dreams
        if you please
          sentiments at dawn
                     the river rocks
                         the seas separate
                              my heart on a limb
                                       the trees hear me
                                           in their
                                              infinite beauty.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

In the Music of the Music - Anita

In the music of the music
  I hear an inside voice
     a track of memory
       a bout of history
           a slimline CD floods the room
       in a cafe
                 conversation sweet
            I meet you coming and going
                 under tables
                      above boards
                               on mattresses
                           in a garden
                                the roses not yet blooming. 




Streaming...............................I can not capture
                all those nuances
                     stilled by the morning sun
                          I write these lines
                              before I see your face. 


Anita Schiffman Holzberg


Countless are my days
I am not counting
til I see your face. 

In Truth - Anita

In truth
 the turtle does not fall far from the rose
  the white of the wedding stays
     a beacon for all time
  the stars come out in the Autumn Sky
  the light is fading faster in the day
  the chilly mornings bring the new season
  the house I honor stays with me
  the world is in turmoil
  the peace we have is what we create
    with ourselves


In truth
  the rainbow
    shines her light upon me
         and my family
       we are humbled by it
            run with it
                     as I say prayers
         every Saturday
                 the rainbow now fades
                          life is still
                                       good
                       in truth.  

Thursday 15 September 2011

In This Old House - Anita Holzberg

In this old house
  the floors creak
     the air from windows leak
        the fireplace needs the chimney cleaned
             the kitchen floor sags
                  what a drag


      The oven is too small
           The cabinets old and very tall


In this old house
  I chance to meet myself for 26 years
         the cats abounding
            the kids resounding
                 the husband's work done
                            in my study
                       the den a family room
                           the dinners ate
                   at the kitchen table
                          everyone late


In this old house
       the garden fair
            the patio near the barbecue
                  the deck for Picchu


In this old house
     I watch the sun stream in
           the carpets warm my feet
                the new bathrooms shine
                         the floor plan sweet


In this old house
   I chance to meet myself coming and going
          I walk in a sea of comfort
                open a window
                      greet at the door
                 every year love her 
                       more and more.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Thank You Anita! Xx

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Wednesday 14 September 2011

If not for Loving - Anita Holzberg

If not for loving
 I would not walk these steps
   
If not for loving
   I would not have belief in myself


     If not for loving
   I would not have stayed on the path
        towards your recovery
           sidestepping shadows
               I rest in the knowledge
                  that loving
                        binds
                          after that fact
                             loving
                                       is a force beyond words.
 
Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Probably the most prolific writing time in my life.
The wedding spurred the writing and the recovery
of my beloved Jim.  I will continue to write my
thoughts because they show me who I am.

Thoughts about the Power of Prayer - by Anita

For not all,
   the people I sing
       For the unabashed, homeless, those without jobs
                   I sing
             in loud notes
                  in Hebrew prayers
                            on the hall stairs
                                 in harmonious pairs


                  I wait 
                     anticipate for the world
                            to become
                                     a better place!
Amen.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Lately - Anita Holzberg

Lately
  when I pick up this house
      to say "Good Night"
no lips are parted
      no hips are swaying
 no redundant wave playing
      on my piano
           all is quieter than quiet
Pichu the cat in the yard
             stands by
     Lately,
            when every chair is put into place
                  every pair of jeans hung
                                  when the last
                  cup of coffee drunk
                          I toast the emptiness
                             of the never-ending day
                                   before
                                         like the schedule that
                                       signals the saying of
                                          "Good Night"
                                                  So,
                                   echos  my heart
                                      sequined to You
                                            as the night ends
                                         near Mid-night now
                                                dreams float
                                           here
                                                like your smile
                                                   on top of the sheets.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg
                                ( you  seated in
                                           these rooms.)
                                              still..

Tuesday 13 September 2011

In Truth the Purple Rose

In truth the purple rose
   does not mix
      in with the blue sky


She stands alone
  as a contender for solo walks
     a contender for quiet self talks


She takes no one's advice


Sturdy and self propelled she faces
    what is


The purple rose does not mix in 
     with blue sky


She rises above
          Carrying her love
                       in her sea of truth. 

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Sunday 11 September 2011

Surgery in 7 Weeks - Anita Holzberg

Surely
  the sure-footed will run
        down hills
             climb up mountain paths
                   hike the terrain


  I never did any of that


All I want is
       to walk my neighborhood
       
                         I get my
knee replacement surgery date


I know not what it will translate to


I do know I will walk again.


Now, I must train for it
     walk in water, ride the bike


Can I lose 5 lbs in less than 7 weeks


I think  "Yes"


My instinct is success.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

A Poem by Anita

In this moment of moments
  the house very still
     a black cat moves in
        softly purring


In this moment of moments
  I realize
      life is good
           life is what I make it
                 life takes its own path
                       all we have
                              is the
                                 moment!

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Thursday 8 September 2011

Anita - A poem

In the o p e n  spaces
  time does not trod on my feet
     the birthday of the mind
         revisits the scene of joy
              
                         nothing can take away
                                what I experienced
                           what I learned by staying true to the moment


Birds fly by
 Infinite freedom  persists in my life
     the road to happiness is the
               inward hum


              I pick up the flowers
                fallen off their stem
                      on a dining room table
                             my wedding flowers
                                          I put them in a box
                                                     hoping they will dry
                                                  age beautifully
                                        like the moment in time when 
                                                  Emily met her beloved.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg