Thoughts - by Anita

riding into day
  no daylight yet
I get a hop skip and a jump on the day
My Mocha by my side
A cup of hazelnut coffee
Songs of yesteryear
My birthday is almost here
I can feel the excitement
24 long stemmed red roses grace my table
from my neighbor and friend
love is everywhere
Can you hear it, feel it ?
I cut the stems
I put them in a bag
The beauty of moments like these
When silence is so sweet
Amen!
from Ann :)

Welcome by Anita

A white orchid blooming in my living room

  The flowers all 7 of them take over a table

A tree planted itself with white flowers

A cloud rolls over in its white and grey tinge

We can paint pictures of our surroundings

As they float by

The mind notices their beauty

Welcome home.

Have a colorful day!

In the Process - Anita Holzberg

As the sun covers

  I walk 300 steps

Mocha on the path with me

I open doors with my mind

Think of dancing, walking downtown in Palo Alto,

   walking to my far corner

Promises and dreams count

I begin my day 

Always looking forward

A robin on my shoulder.

In The Process - by Anita

As the sun covers
  I walk 300 steps
Mocha on the path with me
I open doors with my mind
Think of dancing, walking downtown in Palo Alto,
   walking to my far corner
Promises and dreams count
I begin my day 
Always looking forward
A robin on my shoulder.

Have a beautiful day!

from Ann :)

Rain - Anita

White rain

 wind and shadow

red rain

 soft and fleeting

purple rain

  undulating and ominous

green rain

   springs and memory

yellow rain

   sun-filled and showering

We walk in the rain

Sometimes fierce, sometimes romantic

Like shadows we seek

Undercurrents of a past life

Stream.

In This Morning - Anita Holzberg

Cool sunless dark morning

Fall scurries in

The pumpkins are already in the stores

The squash is going to be a soup

In this morning

When there are no chirping of the birds

When silence pervades this house

I feed my cats

The past rushes in

Gangbusters

Fall was my opening of the first day of school

Fall the Jewish holidays

Fall, resolutions and promises

I promise to live life fully

To catch the shimmer of light

To stand tall

To be a friend to all

To never be a shadow

To become something more every day

What about You?

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

A Poem by Anita

Footprints

 rain

 cool 56 degrees

time is marching

Fall mornings

September is a month of new beginnings

August 31, my daughter's birthday

39 years young

Neighbors coming today

Appetizers in the yard

Lemonade and brie

chips and bean dip

coconut shrimp

sandwiches from Whole Foods

Mini tarts

Beer and wine flowing

Can I ask for more?

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

clutter - Anita

clutter comes softly

  not all of a sudden

ooh ah the kitchen table can't be seen

ooh ah the kitchen counters are non existent

Removing clutter is painful

One piece at a time

Sometimes don't know where it should go

A 5 bedroom house for one person

All closets packed

Clutter is somewhat shameful

How did I get all this mess

Was I sleeping?

Removing clutter, the spaces cleared

is cathartic

Until we meet again.

In This Moment - Anita Holzberg

In this moment

 when sky begets sky

when swallows touch other trees

time moves us

we are never the same

I don a thicker skin to ward off the deamons

I enter into a peaceful retreat

where meditation and bliss are encountered

In almost 70 years I review my life

so much of it was poetry

4 lovers

2 grand kids

2 daughters

1 husband

   published somewhat

shadows the day with pain in the knee

I keep on going

like a deer stepping slowly

always getting to my destination

How about You?

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Recolor your life - Anita

If we could recolor our lives

 I would start out in orange and go to green

I would reinvent my many loves

I would stand at another beach and watch

  the waves of my childhood

I would sell my soul to the highest bidder

I would play mahjong til dusk

I would enjoy my sunset years

I would never speak the word, "old"

I would cherish friends as family

I would redecorate my soul

I would find happiness in every day

I would embrace memory and the present

I would breathe freely

This I hope for my dearest friends.

Living, a poem - Anita Holzberg

In truth

 the day begins

  the pains go away

we have a clean slate

we can conquer the next horizon

Like fish we swim

Looking towards the light

Light shimmers

Light beckons

Light becomes something more

I listened to my friend

She endured a lot

We traveled many miles together

now, separate lives

We come together sometimes

Life is about chance and change

Never underestimate intuition

I live by my gut

I hear the sequences

I pray for the good outcomes

In the summer of now

I come up with a plan

To live every day

To experience what life is about

To love with a full heart

To help others

To open doors with my mind

To weep with friends

To stand free of criticism

To love myself more

and to hug my grand kids

who are our future

Their beautiful faces welcome

   me

 make me feel more alive!

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

Anita's gorgeous cat Mocha!

Poem of the Moment - Anita

In truth

 the yellow brick road is paved with stars

toothpaste tastes good after salsa

raincoats are not only for rainy days

purple clothes are not only for old people

daisies are not wild flowers

acceptance is the way to be

shoveling papers is a very hard job

sorting socks is another hard job

In the moment we can deal with everything

In the sea of remembrance I see your face

Noting down important occurrences is a good thing

Be kind and you will get what you deserve!

Softly - Anita Holzberg

softly the rain is falling

the lawn chairs are glistening

softly the day begins

with memory with affirmations

softly the cat under my feet

softly the stars fade and fog begins

softly the summer goes

It is
August already

so many stress free days

softly the day engages

and the night waits to begin again

softly my heart feels happy

softly your heart is in my heart

there, is nothing greater than that.

A joint poem by Anita and Ann

Summer comes but once a year
                                       once a year
   Cheer, Cheer, Cheer

Sun's out Sun's out
Oops a thunderstorm
Run and hide
Dogs take cover!

Mocha never leaves the house

No thunder storms in summer in

  Northern California

Mocha waits for the sun to stream in

6 AM she wakes and by 9, the house

  is sunny and beautiful for her body

        to lie in the sun's rays

Mona rolls on the grass
Something good and smelly she has found
Barney fights her for A dog chew
George looks on
King of the dogs

In this summer 

No picnics no swims

Cool evening breezes

The air conditioner hums

The trumpet vines pop

Picchu princess of the backyard

All black with white markings

Meets me at 6AM

Quick picnic in the rain
On the Westwood.
Torn bread, salami slices
And parmesan flakes
Very tasty
In sight of the racecourse
All the dogs bark at once 

BBQ's a happening

Mocha meets my neighbor 

Gets pets and cuddles basks in the attention

Moves quietly like the soulful older she is

Raining again.
Dogs sleeping after a busy day of barking
And running.
Going home soon.

No rain middle of draught

Lawns dying 

Trees still green

Holding on

Time was when

Winter rain came. Not this year. Mocha knows no difference. 
The house Frau is Mocha!


Sea noises

Blue grey water
A seagull hovers
On a current.

At the nail place
Leave. Mocha travel by car
Nice breeze today.  Getting a nice pink color
And fresh look
Far from the ocean.  Cool Saturday day out.   

Dogs asleep now. Tired out. Snoring. 

Dishwasher swooshing in the background. 
Time for sleep.

In - Anita Holzberg

In stanzas I sing

In my big chair I meditate

Everyone should have a chair like that

In tulips, I carry

In wind,, I fly

In heat, I perish

In cool, I am revived

In friendship, I am happy

In grand kids, I am ecstatic

In walking, I am tetoring

In thinking, I am sound

In all creatures big and small

I show love

In daylight I thrive

In night light, I rest

Life is about the small victories

Putting in a battery

Slicing some cheese

Eating an a oear

Rejoice in what you have!

Have a wonderful day.

Tomorrow- Anita Holzberg

Tomorrow

I will pass the torch to tomorrow

I will stand in the rain with an umbrella

I will follow what generations have told me

I will take what I have and run with it

My legacy is my poetry and my grand kids

Owen and Evie will become writers

I will have started that spark within their young minds

Tomorrow will be

A World unto itself

For today's goodness speaks

Like a singing bell on the face of dawn.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

What is God? - Anita

I was having my BLT Sandwich

  between the crunch

    my good friend Karen

described to me why Jesus died

and how he had the greatest gift of fore giveness

"God is love she said. It is everywhere,

mts., valley, streams, in the eyes of friends and family

we can see love and feel love.

We had been to this restaurant and had lunch so many times

It was our hang out

The intensity in how she spoke

Her whole face lit up like Christmas

Such a loving good person, my friend

She spoke totally from the heart.

When we left...I could not top this

No amount of shopping could ever compare

to that sense of spirituality and total faith!

I drove home slowly

It was 88 degrees

The summer heat on my back and shoulders

The gift of faith as sung by my friend

stayed with me....it will always will.

In the saturated sun flowered day - Anita Holzberg

In the saturated sun flowered day

   I wake

        at 4

                 feed the cats

sleep again til 7

  open the curtains to direct sun

    walk on the deck

         the trumpet vines are blooming

              and the snails raise their heads

         a garden that goes on its own

               "low maintenance"

    like everything this summer

              "low key"

                     as another day begins

          a song in my heart

                thinking of You.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg 

The Open Summer - Anita Holzberg

The Open Summer

As the crow flies

 as lemons make lemonade

as the heat rises to 100 degrees

I live the open summer

No schedules

 no waiting in line

    a nap every afternoon

people and places to go not determined

Life is about appreciating these small ammenities

Taking care of the soul

  I call it

I read a good book and relish every page

I meditate twice a day and find my center

I surround myself with silence

Some days I chose a favorite person for lunch

The cool evenings I wrap myself in a comfy blanket

Put the cat by my side

Watch oodles of girl t v

And watch the clock strike midnight

close the light

drift off to sleep.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

The Book Group - Anita

They came

  no one holding the book

    Ritual Bath

no one ringing the bell

everyone having read the book

  some returned it to the library

Everyone with a positive take on

   the book

A positive vibe in the room

My room, my home

The home of a writer

Having a book club for the first time

The house where there were workshops

   of poetry, birthday parties, retirement celebrations

My house where people did not want to leave

I polished the coffee table

  I moved the clutter

I vacuumed the carpet

I went to the store and bought humus, and veggies,

  cookies, and strawberries and some mango too

I was so proud to have the book club

This home came home to roast

And the evening went

the decaf coffee downed

the guacamole eaten

so swiftly the evening left

I sat in my arm chair

Admiring the house

Another party another successful

  event

Yes, my house did shine 

  for that very moment!

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

softly the bird hovers - Anita Holzberg

Softly the bird hovers

  The tea is in the mug

Slowly, the curtains open

The sky emerges

The sea is tranquil

I pack up this house

Everything about those books

Are memories

Poetry books and History books

All lined up

Waiting to be read again

How can I bear to take them out of view?

These books stood the test of time

When everyone left

I took out Neruda's Love poems

Remembering your face

when you

gave it to me

We saw the movie Il Postale

You loved Neruda as much as I did

Still-- I love you & Neruda

Like breathe itself

Packing it away now

I have my memories

Stronger than life itself.

A poem by Anita

Time comes

 Time goes

You were there for me to start my heart

Love is the answer

When you have a love like that

You are totally, totally changed

In that moment

sky and water collide

ships come into the night

a hummingbird stays true to its nature

fluttering among friends

the horizon is clear

the comings and goings are

what they should be

honest and free.

A Poem by Anita

In the comings and goings

I take my leave

To particularly feel the waves of the ocean

To climb the nearest tree

To open arms, palms up

To establish a peace with the universe

To stand in the opening of sky

To wander into the flame of a new day

I take these moments to understand

Silence speaks

God is around the corner

Listening 

always Listening.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg

Softly - Anita Holzberg

I arise

 it is 6 AM

The cat is meowing for food

So is Picchu

I feed the cats

Yes, Debbie, I did it

The raging has stopped

The feet feel almost normal

I fold my laundry

Put it on the walker and 

Go to the computer

Write these lines

Flowing like silk

In a morning after a raging body

The sky is clear

Patches of light fold into my vision

How are you Today?

A poem by Anita

Quietly, I pack the house up

the Activia in the trash

 down the hatch

the lights all extinguished

the reading done

10:30 is when I turn out the lights

Little Mocha sleeping on a pillow beside me

Asleep for hours

Until Midnight when I get up

The cat wakens also

She is always by my side

In the middle of the night

My trusted companion

In the day not too far from reach

Quietly, I dim the lights

Its been a lovely day

My dear friend Aya for tea

My dear Dr. Chi and Julie hoovering over me

Like incredible watch dogs

I feel better now

I feel the strength returning to my life

I stand at attention to the rising of the sun

I wait for the house to quietly say goodnight

I am not afraid to be alone

The burning has almost stopped

a minor miracle I am witnessing

Just as the end of the day there is peace

love tranquility

trust of oneself

One more evening.

Quietly the house says "good night."

A Poem by Anita (and a photo by Ann)

In taking the oath of silence

I walk these floors

I do not complain

Life is bigger than pain

Life is bigger than sorrow

The inside spirit matters

Emily Dickinson wrote about her lovely

garden feeling pain every day

She was en-firmed

I sing to the trees

Open hearts

Open limbs

Carry me to another place

And the place is like a green meadow

No obstacles to walking

Just peace.

Anita Schiffman Holzberg