Ellen Hart

Ellen Hart, an East Coast transplant has spent the last several decades in Santa Cruz where she taught Language Arts and Drama for twenty five years In addition, she directed community teen theater for Kids on Broadway. She facilitated journaling workshops as part of an outreach program for Dominican Hospital and with women cancer survivors for WomenCare. She continues to pursue her lifelong love of language through her writing and has published two chapbooks: Miles to Go and Behind the Fog . Her work has appeared in the Porter Gulch Review, Monterey Bay Poets Anthology, Monterey Poetry Review and Tree Magic, a CD anthology. She enjoys performing in poetry readings, some of which include : The Front Street Poetry Reading, featured reader for Poet Speak, Independent Voices, and Poet’s Eyes Artist’s Tongue. She has also read on the KUSP poetry show and looks forward to reading on KRML.

Persimmons and Chocolate

Rustling through the cupboard
on this sleepy fall morning, I find it bare.
A frost on the pumpkin day, too cold
to venture out for breakfast.

I uncover a tin-foiled slab of
dark chocolate in the freezer
then notice the bright orange
persimmons on  the  table.
 
I think of them as decorative like
gourds or else, a baking project, time
consuming, with an unknown result.
I slice one open, anyway.

I arrange the slices on a mint green
porcelain saucer with pieces of chocolate
pour a steaming mug of jasmine tea
admire the still life I created.

I am overcome with appreciation 
for the life I am living
full of sweet surprise like the fruit
complex and rich like the chocolate.

The tea slips over my tongue
warms me through and through
melding the flavors with a promise
          to remember this.