Spice of Life
Image by freepik from freepik
Once again we come together.
This is the season to sharpen knives,
test the waters, prepare for weather.
Bitter almond, thyme, sage, cloves:
spices this time of year requires.
This is the season to sharpen knives,
mix whiskey sours, set the fires,
perhaps discard outdated bitter
spices. This time of the year requires
softer ways when candles sputter.
Well-worn ornaments, all those quarrels:
Should we discard outdated bitter
words, the ones we still remember?
It’s long since past the date for justice.
Worn as ornaments, all those quarrels
are out-of-date, although they crushed us
once. Again we come together,
air-kiss, pass the date bread, just as
we test the waters, prepare for weather.
Want to read more about winter? Try some of these!
- At the Edge of Autumn – Nature Poetry – For the Change of Seasons
- A Sighting – A Snowy Owl Short Story
- The Snow’s New Year Message – Poetry for the New Year
- Christmas with Rita: Sip and Be Merry Tea Review – Holiday Season Tea Review

Karen Greenbaum-Maya
Karen Greenbaum-Maya is a retired clinical psychologist, former German major and restaurant reviewer, and three-time Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee. Her work has appeared all over the place. Her work in fairy tales and dream interpretation, and her obsession with Kafka and flirtation with Buber have led her inevitably to prose poems. Her collections include three chapbooks, Burrowing Song, Eggs Satori, and, Kafka’s Cat (Kattywompus Press), and, The Book of Knots and their Untying (Kelsay Books). Bamboo Dart Press publishes The Beautiful Leaves and Eve the Inventor.
Find out more from Karen on her blog.




