poetry

nosing around

~ jama ~ 25 Comments

“You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” ~ John Green

I smell something funny.

“Running Nose #93” by Stephen Green (2011), via Saatchi Art.
BE GLAD YOUR NOSE IS ON YOUR FACE
by Jack Prelutsky

Be glad your nose is on your face,
not pasted on some other place,
for if it were where it is not,
you might dislike your nose a lot.

Imagine if your precious nose
were sandwiched in between your toes,
that clearly would not be a treat,
for you’d be forced to smell your feet.

Your nose would be a source of dread
were it attached atop your head,
it soon would drive you to despair,
forever tickled by your hair.

Within your ear, your nose would be
an absolute catastrophe,
for when you were obliged to sneeze,
your brain would rattle from the breeze.

Your nose, instead, through thick and thin,
remains between your eyes and chin,
not pasted on some other place—
be glad your nose is on your face!

~ from The New Kid on the Block (Greenwillow, 1984).

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cheese, glorious cheese!

~ jama ~ 25 Comments 
AMERICAN CHEESE 
by Jim Daniels

At department parties, I eat cheeses
my parents never heard of—gooey 
pale cheeses speaking garbled tongues.
I have acquired a taste, yes, and that's
okay, I tell myself. I grew up in a house
shaded by the factory's clank and clamor.
A house built like a square of sixty-four
American Singles, the ones my mother made lunches
With—for the hungry man who disappeared
into that factory, and five hungry kids.
American Singles. Yellow mustard. Day-old 
Wonder Bread. Not even Swiss, with its mysterious
holes. We were sparrows and starlings
still learning how the blue jay stole our eggs,
our nest eggs. Sixty-four Singles wrapped in wax—
dig your nails in to separate them.

When I come home, I crave—more than any home
cooking—those thin slices in the fridge. I fold
one in half, drop it in my mouth. My mother
can't understand. Doesn't remember me
being a cheese eater, plain like that. 

~ from In Line for the Exterminator. © Wayne State University Press, 2007.

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via Click Americana

Raise your hand if you grew up with Kraft American Singles — *looks around* — okay, I see that’s most of you. 🙂

photo by J. Kenji López-Alt/Serious Eats

Did your Mom tuck them in your lunchbox sandwiches along with baloney or ham? Did you ever snack on a slice to satisfy between-meal munchies? Remember how your mouth watered as you anticipated that first bite of a juicy grilled burger with melty cheese oozing down the sides? Or best of all, what about the fine art of slowly pulling apart a warm grilled cheese sandwich just to see how far those gooey strings would s-t-r-e-t-c-h?

photo by Ralph Smith/Food Network
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nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 8 Comments

“Fear not November’s challenge bold. We’ve books and friends, and hearths that never can grow cold. These make amends.” — Alexander L. Fraser 

1. Hello, November! We need a nice big bowl of homemade soup to warm us up. Do you think our badger friend will share some of his? I definitely think so. 🙂

When all feels chaotic and unsettling, escape to the English countryside with Emily Duffin’s charming watercolors. Based in Northamptonshire, England, Emily enjoys depicting the everyday lives of animals. Since she grew up on a small farm and currently lives in a village that has Shetland ponies (and a donkey!), it’s no surprise she’s endlessly inspired by the wildlife in her area.

After graduating with a Fine Arts degree from Northampton University, Emily worked as an estate agent for about a decade. She then met her husband who encouraged her to start drawing again. They moved into a beautiful old cottage with apple trees in the garden and a family of bunnies under the hedge — quite an idyllic setting for creative work.

They had a daughter, Molly, commissions were starting to come in, and she even received an invitation to illustrate a book. But after tragedy struck with the death of her partner, Emily’s life was upended for about a year.

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two poems by Freya Manfred

~ jama ~ 32 Comments
“Woman Writing” by Bly Pope.

I consider it a rare gift to discover a new-to-me poet, one whose work immediately resonates and whets my appetite for more.

Reading Freya Manfred’s poems for the first time was like taking a rejuvenating breath of fresh air, or drinking a tall glass of cool water on a warm day. She often writes about nature and human relationships; her plain-spoken words, generous spirit and clear-sighted wisdom shifted my perspective. Here are two poems I found especially moving.

“Breakfast” by Amy Werntz (oil on panel).
IMAGINE THIS 
by Freya Manfred

When you’re young, and in good health,
you can imagine living in New York City,
or Nepal, or in a tree beyond the moon,
and who knows who you’ll marry: a millionaire,
a monkey, a sea captain, a clown.

But the best imaginers are the old and wounded,
who swim through ever narrowing choices,
dedicating their hearts to peace, a stray cat,
a bowl of homemade vegetable soup,
or red Mountain Ash berries in the snow.

Imagine this: only one leg and lucky to have it,
a jig-jagged jaunt with a cane along the shore,
leaning on a walker to get from grocery to car,
smoothing down the sidewalk on a magic moving chair,
teaching every child you meet the true story

of this sad, sweet, tragic, Fourth of July world.

~ from Speak, Mother (Red Dragonfly Press, 2015).
“Old Man with Cane” by James Coates.
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[mindful review+ giveaway] The Gift of the Broken Teacup by Allan Wolf and Jade Orlando

~ jama ~ 24 Comments

Imagine standing beneath a tall tree in a quiet snow-laden forest, your soul abloom with heightened awareness. Or perhaps you’re lying on your bed, eyes closed, envisioning a butterfly fluttering just above you, its wings stirring up the gentle air before it softly lands on your fingers, nose and eyelids.

Whether immersing yourself in nature or traveling within, moments of calm introspection can help offset the stresses of daily life, rejuvenate the spirit and restore balance. In The Gift of the Broken Teacup: Poems of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me (Candlewick, 2025), poet Allan Wolf and illustrator Jade Orlando invite young readers to open their minds, think deeper, and enjoy the benefits of being fully present in their daily lives.

This insightful collection explores the essence of mindfulness by offering strategies for self actualization and emotional literacy. With an emphasis on positive values like empathy, kindness, gratitude and respect, this child-friendly primer for being in the world truly inspires and empowers.

Thirty poems are presented in three sections — Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me — with the opening poem introducing the book’s overarching themes of acceptance, openness, and intention. 

THE GIFT OF THE BROKEN TEACUP

I drink my tea 
from a broken cup.
The handle is gone,
so I pick the cup up
with both hands cupped
as if to pray.
I've learned my tea
tastes better this way.

I like the speaker’s non judgmental attitude and willingness to embrace the broken cup for what it is, ultimately discovering an unexpected gift. Good lesson: always remain open to possibilities, trust yourself.

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