Let The Tomatoes Come To You

When they are ready they will drop
into your hands: sun, earth, wind
and rain. The smell of your hands
is summer and the world is round.

Hold a tomato to your ear and hear
the green plant grinding
to a halt, its work done.

Let the tomatoes come to you
in a red velvet sauce murmuring to garlic,
asking it over and over to let itself go,
slow dancing in a pot on the stove.

Let the tomatoes run like lava
over pasta ears and shells, angel hair,
butterflies and rings.

Let the tomatoes come to you

in a bowl from Umbria with a blue dot
deep in its navel. Let there be cheese
from Parma and green ribbons of basil
succumbing to heat and tomato love.

Let there be friends by candlelight, Chianti
rouging their faces with laughter.

Let the time come to fullness.
Let the warmth spread.
When you are ready,
let the tomatoes come to you.
Let them come to you.

--Angela Just
Copyright © 2004 by Free Lunch Arts Alliance

Other Poets/Other Poems

Anonymous, Issue 17

Antler, Issue 36

Amy Beeder, Issue 16

Boyd W. Bensen, Issue 31

Donna Biffar, Issue 15

Kimberly Blaeser, Issue 27

P. W. Boisvert, Issue 39

Rick Cannon, Issue 28

Jared Carter, Issue 24

David Chorlton, Issue 40

Billy Collins, Issue 1, Issue 18

Steven Coughlin, Issue 39

Philip Dacey, Issue 6

Denise Duhamel, Issue 13

Stephen Dunn, Issue 34

Stuart Dybek, Issue 41

Dave Etter, Issue 14

Norma Hammond, Issue 22

David Hernandez, Issue 23

Susan Holahan, Issue 12

Angela Just, Issue 32

Lisa Kadous, Issue 20

Julie King, Issue 30

Lyn Lifshin, Issue 19

Mary Lucina, Issue 26

Louis McKee, Issue 5

Pamela Miller, Issue 8

Lisel Mueller, Issue 29

Alexis Orgera, Issue 35

James Reiss, Issue 26

Len Roberts, Issue 2

Kristopher Saknussemm, Issue 10

R. T. Smith, Issue 38

Cathy Song, Issue 21

Judith Valente, Issue 37

Charles Harper Webb, Issue 25

Mary Ann Waters, Issue 11

J. D. Whitney, Issue 33

Bayla Winters, Issue 3

Lila Zeiger, Issue 4

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