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".

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Monday 30 January 2012

If - Anita Holzberg


If,
  my life would be settled
         If,
   the flux would go away
         If,
   this morning I get an answer
        If,
   standing at the gate
         no egg on my face
       if
    revising dreams
         one by one
            I take them
               to mean something
                  more
            than breathing

        Spin
           Dance
              Win
           Recede
              Advance
                 Sing
                       of Thee for Me.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

I Wish You Hope Among the Lilies - Anita Holzberg

Drunk with the newness of the day
   I toast the morning
       eat my grapefruit
          juicy with her pink skin
     
  Drunk with the prospect of writing yet
      another poem
          to be young around my grand kids
                    Evie and Owen

                soon
           in 2 weeks I will see them
            
Drunk with the rain-song, the morning-song
     the day=before=the day song

I wish you hope among the lilies
I wish you solace among the daisies
I wish you all that you wish

Drunk with the prospect of the day

No backpack too heavy
No memory too fierce

A string of memories like pearls
My Mother's smile
Lights the way.

Life Like Love - Anita Holzberg

Life like love
    disappears
        the vanishing act
    I go to the mirror
           age lines
              skin fights back
                  fingernails remain

      Life like love
          winds her own path
              I did not discover you
                      I did not recall
                     your fleeting movements
                         at a table before me

         Life like love
               enhances the dream
                    we are the yearning children
                                hoping

         Life like love
                  pronounces loving thoughts
                       lost on the ears of time
                  pronounces radical wanderings
                       footsteps remembered

         Life like love
                  is a cloth that binds
                       I wear cotton
                              it is soft
                           and everyone should
                              feel the cuddle of this cloth
                     in the scheme of things
                              that is all that matters.

Dawn Song - Anita Holzberg


Soft sounds of morning
  sweet sounds of the night retreating
     infinite waves of freedom
         wash over me
             as
          I begin again
                every morning
         before the sunrise

              In this zone
         a new day in the wings

            I take away the pillows
                    I am good

           all is right with the world
             I hope for you in your world, too

           all is right with my world. 

  Anita Schiffman Holzberg

A Spiritual Journey - Anita

Not withstanding rain
   my heart like a soldier
       my days like the battlefield
           my vision beyond memory

             In the Psalm of Songs
                   I reside
                In my goings and comings
                   I create
                         my poems and my songs
                                music for my soul

                    In these moments I am closer
                           to God
                    
                  I have turned a leaf
                     seen the hummingbird come close
                           walked to the mountain's lap
                                  taken my recovery
                                      as a spiritual journey

                                      For Thee and me
                                I sing waiting for the darkness
                                     to recede
                                  the darkness of my life
                                     has left
                                   I have the hope for a better
                                           today and tomorrow
                                       Hashem is the light
                                                  its that inside light
                                          that starts each day
                                              with gratitude and thanksgiving.

                                 Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

A Cross Over - Anita Holzberg


In time I will remember
  who I was
       how disorganized the mind
              how writing bills a chore
                   always losing the stamp

   In time I will remember
       the anger from the divorce
             my children far
                   my life a class
               for teaching

   In time the petals of a life
            cross over
                    60's a new beginning
      the surgery life changing

             renewal is what it is
                 spiritual and physical

                   I give myself permission
                       to grieve, to love, to explore
                               to take that path
                             that finds me
                                out in a field of poppies
                                           with the rain lightly falling
                                     my shoulders caressed by the wet
                                           shower
                                     and of thee I sing
                                            in these moments, too

Thursday 26 January 2012

Life Is For The Brave Heart - Anita Holzberg

Life is for the brave heart
   Life is for the brave
        with a heart

Life is not for sissies
  The burning feet return
       every night
      I just grin and bear it

Sometimes it gets so unbearable
     I just weep

Sometimes I call Bill and he listens
     He takes away the pain

Friends mean a lot

They can take away the pain
They offer love and acceptance 

Life is for the brave heart

I have been very brave

I have moved mountains with my mind and body

Yes, I have.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Of Thee I Sing - Anita Holzberg


In thee I sing
  In everything about Thee
     let freedom ring
  for the table that is before me
  for Picchu my wonderful cat
  for friends I meet near and far
  for the loving of life
  for the trusting of self

of thee I sing
   Recovery is the physical and the heart
             together

       In recovery I sing
           marching on to freedom's path

       Its the path we make for ourselves

              Of Thee I sing.

The Daily Balance - Anita

The elliptical does not make it happen
   I pounded that for 10 years
The bike no one walks away slimmer

Its the food that one eats
The daily balance
The routine check
3 fruits 2 vegetables or visa a versa
After having gained 7 lbs.
I fear that I could gain more

No trail mix
No cheese
No popcorn
No peanut butter

No wishing to be thin
No outrageous cleanses
No detox
White knuckle dreams

I can do this
I did it before
Keep on trekking.

Anita S. Holzberg 

In The Darkness - Anita Holzberg


In the darkness
  sprout the greatest dreams
In the darkness
   conceived the future
In the darkness
    memories unite
In the darkness
     flowers incubate
       babies are conceived
          ideas culminate

                  I wanted to be
         a writer
                   I wanted to make
          a difference
                   I wanted others to
           hear by words
                   I wanted to bring
            peace to me and thee
                   I wanted to make 
            a difference

In the darkness, I did.

IN WINTER - Anita Holzberg


In Winter I come
  like the stoic geraniums
      rigid stems of red
           living in pots
              unearthed

In Winter my courage
    surfaces
         like golden wheat
            like fresh corn
              in a sea of poppies
    
 In Winter
            I see your face again
          after a long absence
                 I have your photo
          I kept that
               sewed up
                    and all the memories
                          of
                    a Love Story
                       now told.

I Missed the Dawn - by Anita

I missed the dawn
  but I did not miss you waking
       in my heart

I missed the dawn
 but time holds you up to my face

I missed the dawn
  where the colors of sky
      mix blue with magenta

I missed the dawn
   as the day begins
      the singing in my heart
           begins too.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Time was honored, Finite - Anita Holzberg


In truth I will follow you
  to the end of the earth
       where flowers are cherished
             where beer flows
                  where time stops

          In every walk I take
               I walk with you
          With every step
               a backlog of memories

              For us
              time was honored, finite

                 For others
             time goes like that spool
                  the tread never stopping

                  For me
            the greatest love in the greatest time

     This morning I sing to thee
        everything about thee
              & me.

Monday 23 January 2012

Chances Are - Anita

Chances are
   I will never have this time again
           Chances are
                   the white river
                          on my path
                    the golden sun
                          follows my lead
                     the red currant jam
                          finds its way 
                      the sea of flowers
                          mark my path
                      the flourish of the trees
                          light my morning

                          and You
                        everything about You
                            makes it all happen
                           You in my heart
                                 every day
                             streaming. 

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

I Put On My Wishing Hat - by Anita

On this rainy Monday
   the door open
       the inevitable dream
              comes
           as peace washes
                  over me
             my heart on a limb

                 On this morning
            in the dark
                  out of bed
                     4 AM
                 Sumatra coffee
             I ground the beans
                  very fresh

                    I think
            that England is far
              Oakland is farther
                Santa Cruz
                    over the hill

               I put on my wishing hat
                     I could go there
                             sometime
                 when leg and feet working
                             as one unit

                     The sea of memory is deep
               Evie is growing by leaps and bounds
                     Owen is waiting for me

                   We will catch up

                      We will see the sunrise
                            as the rain hammers
                              
                 In all this
                         there is a pervading goodness
                                 I feel it
                              for me and thee.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

A Winter's Poem - Anita Holzberg


In fog I will look for you
 As the 49ers play their game,
         I will think of you
     you in your man cave
        no one could speak when
           the game was on

In wet and windy Winter
       I will cuddle you

               as time swooped
         you away

I was left with the quilts,
         never without the love.

In how I end the day,
        I will honor you

    You who stood by me
       You who held my hand
              who handled my heart
          sometimes with kid gloves

There was nothing feminine about you
     You were a man's man
           down to your fingernails

               I loved that
       and every inch of you

As the months travel by,
       as I write these poems
            I care for you
          even more Now
                   as dusk comes
          as it sheds dark over my
                   shoulder
            another day closes
                 another day
            with thoughts of YOU.

Sunday 22 January 2012

I Set My Compass - Anita

Precious memories
   Picchu is apart of them
      a "fraidy" cat
          is under my toes

     No one knows
what path life will take

No one knows the course

I set my compass

Sometimes I have to throw it away

A GPS not functioning

You were on my path

The years we spent amazing

The years we spent together

I touch a leaf now
  pinch my waist

You are not here

I am left to carry our memories

I will,

I promise

I promise.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

In Summer - Anita Holzberg

In Summer
  I will see you in my yard
       In Summer we will sit on the patio
           as the frogs and infinite creatures watch

     In Summer
          we will barbecue corn wrapped in husks
                 and take out work gloves to get them
                          off the grill

     In Summer
           we will wear shorts and sleeveless tops
                and talk until it gets dark

                   In Summer a chicken dinner
            before us

All those days are gone
           I still have the gloves
                 I still have the memories

           Its Winter now
      don't know what Summer holds

Sweet dreams cover my heart
       a precious box of memories
           pervades my soul.

Love walks on many paths
        You are here on mine.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Quite Mornings, by Anita


Quiet mornings
   I commune with Picchu
         coming in from the rain

Quiet mornings
   I drink my Hazelnut coffee
         in my kitchen
       spotless and clean

Quiet mornings
    Your voice among the lilies
        so powerful
           so strong
              I choose to think of
           thee
                this morning
           this dawn=song
               is your song too.  

And in these moments
            I am more

Beans for Breakfast - Anita Holzberg

BEANS FOR BREAKFAST
   TURKEY CHILI
        COLD
   HAZELNUT COFFEE
I RUN TO THE PANTRY
   YOUR FACE NOT THERE
I RUN TO THE DOOR
    YOU ARE NOT KNOCKING
I RUN TO THE PATIO
     NO CHICKEN BARBECUING
         IN THIS STATE OF ALONENESS
                 I TAKE MY STANCE
              I RIGHT MY DREAMS
         IN TRUTH
              I HAD THE GREATEST LOVE
                   IN FACT
                   IT IS OVER
          IN THE MORNING I REMEMBER
                   WHAT I HAD
                        AND MOURN.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Friday 20 January 2012

I Will Take You With ME - Anita

I will take your face
   with me
      to every corner
         to every silent field
      in my goings and comings

   I will take you with me
       to my next venture
            your smile
                your laughter
          will light the way

   I will visit you in my darkest hours
     I will chance to meet you
         my lips will remain open
            my heart will never close
                  because
             I met you.  

   In these quiet days
           I meet you daily
                I celebrate what we had
                     as the days get lighter
                 my burdens are lighter
                          too
                       having met YOU!

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Thursday 19 January 2012

Love Knows No Bounds - Anita Holzberg


In deep sleep
  you will come to me
     about 2 AM
the shadows walking
   In wit and candor
You will speak to me
   My humor not lost among the rubble

In vows
   and in little ways
      a stroke of my hair
          a kiss on the cheek
             a word whispered
                   you will stay with me

For love knows no bounds
   for love knows no endings
         for love survives
            in a box,
                 in a pantry
in the little space
It grows in the dark
         you know
like the smallest sprout on wings.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Wednesday 18 January 2012

At The Keyboard - Anita


Notes barrel across the keyboard
   morning=song
      dawn and the words come
  with the notes like rain pitter patter
       on the roof tops of memory

I sing unto Thee
  the vast cavern of the unknown
     before me
         like the open road
              my future
is not carved in stone
           like the open sea
      the endless patch of blue

My music takes me to another place
    that place between
         me and Thee
  sacred notes shouting out
        in this tranquil morning. 

The First Light - Anita Holzberg

The first light
  a soft pink rising
    the trees black
the sun not up
    almost 7 AM
I rise early
    toast and coffee
        cranberry jam
and the day begins
       a quick look forward

    in time
I will remember
   remembering the sunrise
         and it will bring
                me
             Bliss
                 unspoken.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

From the Journals - some Insights - Anita Holzberg


Searching for fireflies
  butterflies appear
Fine honed salt on the other side of the moon

Searching for fireflies
   the world opens up
      song and lyric appear
   in the humdrum of the day
   making it fly by  

Searching and yearning my entire life
   The search will never end
     The yearning will be over

I found something divine in the shadows
     of a new day
I found the real sense of knowing is knowing not
I found that writing to wellness can create dreams
   my doorstep is filled with well wishers
      in the being of the being
         soot replaced by clear water
             flowing in the background
                      of a life that keeps
                         evolving
             I went nowhere
                    I was everywhere.

I Missed the Sunrise - Anita

I missed the sunrise
  light bright between the trees
       I missed the sunrise
slept in
      Fed the cat at 7 AM
   in 31 degree weather
She stayed outside eating
    her warm coat around her

I missed the sunrise
  but heard your heart among
       the bushes
   heard the start of the day

I had all kind of plans
   a cleanse for me
       if I am able
   a cleaning of the house
   the laundry waits

I missed the sunrise
  there is always tomorrow

The dawn song rings
   in my soul
      every day
            it rings in my soul.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 


A Poem for Martin by Anita

We met
  under the shells of time
      in the river of memory
           at a coffee house that resembled
                   home

We met
    under the inequities of the world
    under the guise of political freedom
    under the bowls of the earth

In circumstance we met
In happen stance we danced
In loyalty we bonded

Not so much for ourselves
But we ourselves submerged
   stronger, more surefooted                    
        in the sea of aloneness

We met under the cloak of sadness
  In the transition time
      under the guise of not knowing
   why or how we met
We met
    to connect
       that's  it-

Anita Schiffman Holzberg. 

Cool chilly mornings - Anita Holzberg

Cool chilly mornings
  no rain yet
Coolness in my heart
I found out where you are
Many moons have been since I've seen you,
   kissed you

Cool endings of a day
   sometimes no one calls
     sometimes sleep comes over in a vacant
         sea
    sometimes I feel energy with my words
    my heart speaks to Thee

    And all is right with the world.

Amen 

Monday 16 January 2012

In this morning..... have a beautiful day! - Anita Holzberg

In this morning
  the dawn escapes my breath

In this morning
  the sky cries with remembrance

In this morning
  You ride the hill of memory

In this morning
   The world does not hear my prayer

In this morning
    The children of the world are singing

In this morning
     Evie is waking up
              Owen begins his day

In this morning
       The words flow like cream

In this morning
         I pray to Thee Oh, God
               for all good things
           to touch my family and my friends
      as we have what we have
           soft crevices of morning
                 holds me
            once again in the lap
                    of gentleness
                 of serene dreams
                     waking
                   I have P E A C E.

I Loved You and in the Loving, loved me too - Anita Holzberg

In solitude
  in complete quiet
    in separateness
        with a loving heart
    I write these lines

Had I had a partner
  Had I had a lover
Had I teamed with someone

These lines might not come

Fresh bread for morning song
Fresh flowers for my heart

I loved you
  you were my everything
      until
          it was over
  vacant days
          lonely nights

I loved you like breath itself
and in the loving, I began to love me
         too

Quiet days
   quieter nights
          I speak to you now
in poetry, in verse
     the heart never forgets
          the depth of feeling
the heart never forgets.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Sunday 15 January 2012

For all things Divine, I found thee - Anita Holzberg


Peace walks on gossamer feet
    the winning moment
          always comes
    after a cup of coffee
           after toast with jam
    after viewing the morning sunrise

           In virtue
               I come
            In stance and happen stance
               I lead
            In the waking up
                   In the lying down

            In those things divine
                I found thee

           always in the shadows I walked
           always alone near a river I talked

          always out to lunch

          Until the simple act of staying
               put
             here for 10 weeks for healing
                      without my stop and go life

               I found thee
                   a profound sense of gratefulness
                             overwhelms me
                 I am here to do good works for me
                             and thee

                       Amen 

Aunt Bern by Anita x

Floods of remembrances
   my Aunt in her pink robe
      at her table in New Jersey
I had come far to find her face
      her smile always got to me

In those conversations I learned a lot
I learned that self dignity is the way to go
I learned that self reliance never hurt with
a sense of style

My Aunt is gone.
I will not be able to speak with her again
Those conversations where I spoke my heart
and she answered
will be with me forever

Forever is a long time.

Bye Bye Aunt Bern

a cupboard - Anita

The cupboard holds
  the cup unfolds
       fortunes are made
           and unmade
      truths walk
          as a parade of words
      down a street
            I was
                  I am
    I were
            I understand 
               nothing
          but the fragrance of
               silence
      that makes writing a joy
         always the clean slate
              another day.

Amen.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

AS - Anita Holzberg


As dawn reigns
  as cats meow
     as ideas become reality
         as children speak
            as sky cries

          I write these lines
       infinite statements to the universe

As dawn rises
  as a new day starts
    as becoming is more than being
        as seeing a new vocabulary
               as rivers rock
                      as trees sway
                    as lines formed
                          as letters start
                   my new day.

Amen!

If I Found You.. - Anita Holzberg

If I found you
  on the corner
     under a lamp post
         on top of a park bench

If I found you
   through an e mail
     in a starched shirt
       at a Starbucks

If I found you
    singing in my shower
       eating lasagne
          jumping hoops in my backyard

If I found the likeness of you
    your hair
       your intense smile
             your eyes like pools of deep water

If I found you
      memorizing a poem
         walking in nature
            eating an orange
                 brushing your teeth

I would know it
     but I have not found you yet
The days get longer
       my search is stronger
Maybe if I let go I will find you
Maybe I already found you and I did not know it, yet.
If and when is like needles in a haystack
If is a long venture, when is never when we expect.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

In Newness - Anita Holzberg


In newness I come
  spanky sparky newness
     like a shiny penny
        sequined sleeves
                gold bags
            sparkle shoes

In newness I come
     like every day starts the same
           like every moment is never the same

Choice words around an oak table
      You were all here once

In newness I come
   not looking back
      the old remarks
               the old tire
          the old typewriter in the garage
               an antique of memories

In newness I come
     like the budding rose
           looking for water
     like the fish looking for food
     like a woman looking for love 
        in the vast forest
            of life.

Now - Anita Holzberg


Now is serene-time
Now is sublime-rhyme
Now is the placid lake
Now is the rhythm of strokes
Now is the lap of the mountain
Now is the softness of snow

Now is the beauty that surrounds me
Now is the patience which has come to me

Now is the placid lake
Now is the lap of the mountain
Now is
       the softness of snow.

Amen...

Anita Schiffman Holzber

Friday 13 January 2012

Tomorrow - Anita Holzberg

Tomorrow I will tie up my ribbons
   Tomorrow I will see the prancing fawn
Tomorrow I will chance a glance at the rising moon
    Tomorrow I will sit straight
         walk tall

Knowing that today paved the way.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg
Poems of Healing

I Hold These Close - Anita


In new shoes I walk
  carefully
across the crowded room

Strangers become friends
People rush in
In an instant I have a lunch partner

In new shoes I scope
  all things that touch my life

I hold these close
 close as the rain on the roof
 as warm slipper wrap
 as quilts cover
 as steam comes out of a tea kettle
 as herbal blueberry tea hits my lips
 as time rolls like a infinite cloud
 as going and coming are the same
 as seas rock
 as sneakers on my feet roll
 as placid as the fleeting morning
 as congruent as lines drawn
 as sweet as your lips
 
I hold all things close

A delicate balance between yearning and loving 

A delicate balance between sorrow and happiness

A delicate balance between toast and the morning coffee

I am comforted by my words to thee.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

MORNING GLOW - Anita Holzberg

I have the morning glow
  jazzed at sunrise
    enamored by dawn
tantalized by pink between
    the trees

I have the morning glow
   jazzed by hazelnut coffee
     entertained by news
        dancing to music

I have the morning glow
   because it is the best time to be
         ALIVE
  I can attest to this
         and the spirit that returns
                 after the bleakest of days
                another morning
another chance at life.

anita Schiffman Holzberg

Thursday 12 January 2012

Anita's poem


I remember who I am
Who I was yesterday
Who I might be tomorrow

In those moments, truth comes
quietly
and the sea of hope, too.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

At The End of The Road - Anita Holzberg


At the end of the road
     there is a mountain
fresh rain
     beating down around my shoulders
a sun shower of images unimagined

At the end of road
  there is another road
    a winding path
where Robert Frost's words
    were written

At the end of the end of that road
   simultaneously I danced
        and danced
   dancing is floating in space
the world never feels the same
   I dance now in my kitchen

At the end of the 2nd road there is a path
     birds can be heard
        sweet sounds across like in a vineyard

I celebrate that new road
     I drink some red wine
        with a friend who has been there
           even though he think he has not

I watch the on coming dusk
   the pumpkins roll
     the stars come out
        each one by one

Life is each day one by one
The stars are there to guide us
The blackness is less black
The patient moon rises
    in a sea of bright stars
each light illuminating the sky

At the end of the road
I take my chances
because every chance I take
make me feel more alive.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Wednesday 11 January 2012

IN - by Anita

In language
  and in thought
I think of you

In body and soul
I shelter you

In the comings and goings
I honor you

In the washing up, and picking up
I notice you 

In those things that make up a day
I cherish you

Time was limited for us
We were truly there for one another

Time was finite

In your hospitals, at the nursing home,
in the assisted living
I found you
Profound sentences said to you
You heard me
You always heard me
I heard you, too.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Flowers of my Heart - Anita


If carnations reign
 and tulips are second
       and
   lilies are third

Flowers of my heart designed
      to live one more time
             to hear the beating of
the rain
    while you hold the umbrella
up
         while you run for the car
I stand up straight
   straighter than before
My height 5.6inches tall
    as you start all there is to start

I wanted to be your friend
so much more was happenning here
the lutes are playing
the bells are ringing
time waits for the balloon to take flight
I wanted to be your friend
You reached out to me
Compassion is the link
In dark glasses, I start my day
They become rose=colored with the thought
of you out there" rushing in your own river"
as I rush in mine.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

In The Waking - Anita Holzberg

In the Waking
  no birds on my path
the world is silent
Quiet remarks for the day

Promises made in the dark fog

I open my heart
I am being heard in the universe

To be listened to
is the greatest gift

In time I will remember
the beauty of these moments
when wit and candor reigned
when silence opened the doors
when dolphins surfaced
when children sang
when the key to my heart was found.

Amen

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Tuesday 10 January 2012

The Gift of Peace - by Anita


Tomorrow never comes
  Today is the essence

A bird lands
  A bird flies away

Seasons roll

A rose blooms

An orchid dies

A child cries

A newborn coos

A sentence is born

A tree grows

Truth comes when we least expect it

Time moves

Letters fall from words

Bugles play

Truth comes from the trees

Nature shows us how to live

Now.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

I Celebrate - Anita Holzberg

Not withstanding hope
  I write these lines
      that come after a long sleep
         that come after a long rest
              that come out of the essence
                 we call thinking about life

Not withstanding
       I wash a dish
           eat some pasta
              make the coffee twice

In these moments I am 
  In these moments I am

Not withstanding circumstances
  I roll up the towel
    I take out the trash
        I put a fresh lipstick on

For life is more than that
  swimming into a new day

I celebrate who I am
  who I was
      who I became
in these moments that I write these lines

I celebrate that also.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

from the Journals - Anita Holzberg

In the shadows of swallows, I sing
  On the roof tops of Sunnyvale, I chant
In the washing up, cleaning up
   I remember what it was like to be
        a Mom--the pathfinder, the sewing up
of hearts


In all that makes up a day, I utter
The mail that comes to my door,
The fig newton that I chose to eat
The phone calls that come in and out
The newspaper very often unread
The Nook Tablet that takes on new meaning


In the rushing around, I lose
In the reflection I win


For in this recovery, I step out of shadows
I write the winning ticket towards the next life


In recovery
In rehab
I train myself
In that training there is freedom, too.


In the Song of Songs
I chant unto the birds
For all who come to my door
For the silent time
For the intuitive sense of Peace.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

The Gift of Peace - by Anita


Time does not impede the burst of sunshine
    the flowers' renewal
       the streams upward turn

Time gives us the space
    to roll with the wind
       to watch the rising tide
          to stand in the rain

                    I needed time to heal, time to reflect,
   time to rest.
          all these gifts I received

and the greatest gift was peace

I sing unto the sky and thank G-d for this gift
      as the sun begins to rise

Another day in Paradise.

A Love Story - Anita Holzberg


In Winter I will find you
  hiding under a pile of snow
     glancing at the sunrise
  carrying tulips
     before dusk

In Winter I will see your face again
    beautiful in the dawn's early light
 handsome in the fleeting rain
    strong in the psalm of songs

In Winter I will hold your hand
    as the sweat of our years
         melt
     in one handshake
          as the wind blows
   through my hair
       as dancing is the same
          as walking
I no longer walk on eggs
         a straight shot to your
       heart
memory does not impede me
I take my chances
as I walk into your arms
a sweetness never ever imagined.

January 9, '12

Monday 9 January 2012

On Pitch


In resurgence
 in renovation
   in climbing ladders
I make my mark
   on this world that seems so vast at times

In silence
  I plan my strategy
    place the marker at the end of the road
        take a bit of salt and throw it over my shoulder

In voice
   I stay on tune, on pitch
In action
  I stay within perimeters

Hitting the bulleye doesn't happen too often
But it does.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Pockets - Anita Holzberg


Pockets of time
   I covet
the first time we made love
the first time I hit a home run
the first time I tasted blueberries that I picked

Pockets
  deep seated pockets
        memories walk on rainbow feet
  or was it the time we won the baseball game?
 or was it the time I learned to water ski?
or was is raspberry jam on Melba toast?

Pockets
     I always have to have pockets
           for stones gathered
                for lint found
                      for shells to hide

I wanted to live again, without remorse, without guilt
     I wanted to sing again
          with each passing moment

and I did.

Anita S. Holzberg 

Saturday 7 January 2012

In Patches - Anita Holzberg

In patches
   I will find your face
In lilies
   I will sing to thee
In tulips
   I will praise you
In daffodils
   I will adore you

Time takes us on a journey
The road not often clear
The outcome surprising

In patches
  I will find the space
       to love you again
  a love story for all time
       remembering.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

In Fog, I will remember you... - Anita Holzberg

In fog
  I will remember you
     everything about YOU
         your walk
              your smile
                  your nose
          your glasses

In light
   I will remember you
       your wit
           your exactness
              your amazing mind

In dark
   I will remember Lexus
      I will remember your embrace
          your hot tub
             your Fox news
                your simple tastes

In Winter
    I will remember you under the covers
In Summer
    I will remember you smoking cigars on your patio
In Fall
    I will remember walking Cocoa
In Spring
    I will remember shorts and sandels
      barbecues
             steak and baked potatoes

                          everything I lost
                      when I lost YOU

everything I had to begin again when you got ill
everything about my life changed
       the light bulb went out
           the flame that kept me going was gone
everything I had to learn
           how to walk
            how to reach out to strangers
            how to bite the bullet of lonely nights without YOU

In the learning
  in the being in being
      I began again
with the strength of you behind me
     always behind me
         that burning in my heart
              will never go out
                   never is a long way.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Today's Dream - Anita Holzberg

Tomorrow's dream
   is written on the corner 
        Today's reality
           cool pools
      Strategies before the moon
             fades
     Whispers on the wind
        renew, revise
      Think again

          The paper monitor
       is the computer screen
           I go there
        write my poems
             the day begins
        in its usual fashion
             my thoughts
        revitalize actions.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Clean Water, a Project Looms - Anita

If tomorrow comes
  the seas will have more rain
    cancer will not be on the horizon
        the clean water will be there for
               the world's children and their mothers
       time the gaunt executioner
                beckons the need for
                         good deeds
        goodness will prevail
           goodness will win over greed
                 one person can make a difference
                       one dot on the horizon
                             I want to be that person
                                  who brings clean water to
                                           the children without
                                   who brings hope to the hearts
                                            of their mothers
                            standing together we can make
                                             a difference.


Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

A Poem - By Anita

In countenance I come
   contained in feeling
        grounded in fact
               surreal in expectations
                   not withstanding
                         the price of peace

              I take my punches
                    revenge in logic
                       retreat to my easy chair
                             never ever giving up

                      A lion and her cubs
                         the defense is always there
                                the offense is coming
                                          clearer
                                      like frost on a pumpkin
                                           flakes of reason
                                                  appear.

Dawn Song

In the cool dark
   the spaces open up
        the divine comes in

                      In the reflection
             a connection between
         the universe, me, and beyond

                      cool pools
                              big ideas
          resurrection of dreams appear.
                         

Anita Schiffman Holzberg