Eggplant

The eggplants at the fruit stand

Were on sale for just a buck.

My husband’s eggplant-picking rules

Inside my head were stuck:

 

You want one that is firm but light.

I didn’t question why,

But hefting two, the heavy one

I therefore didn’t buy.

 

It seems I made the perfect choice,

For, sliced up very thin,

Then bread-crumb topped and fried in oil,

The taste just made me grin.

 

I’m married to a man who cooks

And gears things to my taste.

That eggplant filled a platter high,

But none will go to waste.

 

To think, a meal with plenty left,

With pasta on the side,

At a cost of just a dollar,

Left me more than gratified.

Breakfast on Broadway

When a friend’s in Manhattan,

Amid all the din,

A breakfast on Broadway’s

The way to begin.

 

A place near the theater

Where she has to go

Means a leisurely stroll

Will lead right to her show.

 

The food will pass muster;

The booths will be large.

The waiters won’t rush you,

So you’ll be in charge.

 

The crowds won’t be there yet,

If early you meet,

Making it much more civil

When crossing the street.

 

Then after your breakfast,

Once she gets on line,

You’ll stroll north on Broadway

To Arts and Design.*

 

The day’s just begun,

But your stomach and heart

Will be filled with the comfort

This meal will impart.

 

*Museum of Arts and Design

Dannon Coffee Yogurt

I’ve been eating Dannon coffee yogurt

Oh, so many years,

So learning it’s been discontinued

Didn’t quite bring tears…

 

But a wave of disappointment

Since it’s hard to fathom why

It’s no longer waiting on the shelves

For customers to buy.

 

I Googled it and found it was

A “marketing decision,”

A reason which will surely meet

With clucks of pure derision.

 

A number* seeking feedback

Linked me to a friendly voice

Who took down my information

On my lack of coffee choice.

 

Maybe if they’re inundated

With a thousand calls like mine,

Those in charge will reconsider

Pulling coffee from their line.

 

*877-326-6668

Our Expectations

Our expectations rarely match

Reality, it seems,

For it’s not possible to snatch

The dazzle of our dreams.

 

The same applies to dreaded fears

Which cloud a coming date.

The truth, when it at last appears,

Proves we can’t speculate

 

About what hasn’t yet occurred;

Such attitudes waste time.

Our future’s either dark or blurred

And changes on a dime.

 

So whether outcomes fall quite short

Or drastically exceed

Whatever we’d envisioned

What is always guaranteed

 

Is that no one ever knows for sure,

Including every sage,

If our hopes or fears are premature,

Until we turn the page.

On This Day

Do you celebrate yourself today,

Remembering the birth

Of your child or children when they first

Drew breath upon the earth?

 

Or, instead, do you reflect upon

The one within whose womb

You developed ‘til the day your body

Craved a bit more room?

 

Or possibly, it’s neither

And your thoughts are drawn to those,

Like an aunt or grandma, whose embrace

Did tenderly enclose.

 

No matter whom you think about

When Mothers’ Day rolls ‘round,

I hope the spirit of the day

Within you does resound.

In the City

In the city, theater beckons,

As museums do and parks.

There are restaurants and monuments

To set creative sparks.

 

There are streets that teem with tourists,

Gazing goggle-eyed around,

As they navigate by foot or bus

Or subway underground.

 

There are fields where sports are playing;

There are ferries on the river.

Yet if quiet’s what you’re seeking,

There are spots that can deliver.

 

Benches nestle hither thither,

Just awaiting their next guest,

Who might find that it’s the perfect place

To get oneself de-stressed.

Two Cardinals

Saw two bright red cardinals fighting,

Or that’s how it did appear.

Maybe ‘twas a mating problem, 

Though to us it wasn’t clear.

Wonder if a nearby female

Had a stake in who would win,

Or if she’d reject both fighters 

For what was a cardinal sin!