Author Introduction:

Poetess and critic, USA, Jill Sharon Kimmelman‘s poesies always celebrate life… earthly, mundane, home life imbued in ethereal joy and happiness, sorrows and expectations.

She was born amidst the verdant beauty of nature surrounded by a wide-stretched beautiful dairy cattle farm in Pemberton, New Jersey.

She went to Moorestown High School. She studied American Studies at Douglass College and Rutgers University. Besides these, she studied Hotel and restaurant management at Widener University.

Her perfectly designed desserts are not only mouth-watering but also aesthetic in the ancient hand-painted gold laced plates.

Now living in Wilmington, Delaware her poetic journey takes her away from the boundary of her own country as well as the continent. But apart from poetry, her other passion is cooking deliciously designed dishes and taking photographs. At the age of 23, she started her own catering company.

It is noteworthy to mention that she played all the keys perfectly in between her two passions – Pottery and Cooking. That’s why the aroma of delectable dishes permeates her poetry.

Cooking from the heart…

“Kiwis beckon

blackberries shimmer

 a golden-tipped glistening meringue treat”

Her mesmerizing voice imbues life in her poetry along with others. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her contribution to the realm of poetry is not limited to her own country but beyond it. She wrote in the anthology of poems Bridge, which bears the marks of the poets of East and West published from India.

The Anthology: You Are the Poem

Today I love to dive into the deep of her fathomless thought web and celebrate the multifaced meanings of life along with her debut anthology of poems “You Are the Poem”

The parentheses attached with the title,

“may we continue to learn and embrace the contents of each other’s hearts” exemplifies the amiable nature of the poetess.

The book opens with a heart-rendering poem by Tim Little, husband and companion of Jill’s poetic journey.

You Knew

For Jill with all my love.

“Who knew I would ever be loved,

find a perfect woman who would become my wife”

This poem celebrates the mutual love and adoration of the couple who are bound by the chord of poetry.

You are the poem, by Jill,  crosses its excellency in profoundness and lingering pathos

“You Are the Poem I will wait for you

You are the poem that fills my heart this morning I sip my coffee”

In Fields of Friendship

“Amid my winter-white

Landscape canvas

Our friendship has always been

a field of blazing scarlet poppies

A song of cheer to celebrate

a whisper of warmth to embrace

a single star in a vast black sky

shining bright enough to return

me home.”

I become overwhelmed with such beautiful vibrancy of poetic composition where nature speaks in harmony with human emotion.

Again I love to focus on this poem

Your Hands

 “I feel them

Your hands everywhere

as if there were dozens, not just two

….”

When I read the poem I feel the ‘feathery fingertips’ caressing my senses.

Her pens are so nimble in the chords of human emotions that they easily get sipped in blood and carried to the nerves.

Jill celebrates variegated themes in her poetry.  Every poem carries a distinct mark.

“Forever Sisters” and “Sisters Linked” are sweet poems celebrating relationships. The book recognises the sincerity of friendship, sisterhood, and love. Kimmelman’s words have the magical healing power that can soothe every scar. They are moulded in kindness and sympathy, imbued with humour and authenticity. The language is eloquent and words glide like a cascade, spontaneously.

Even such abstract ideas like “Clarity” get tangibility in her ink.

“Until We Meet Again” is a romantic poem.

Jill’s poem again carries the aroma…aroma of delicious dishes. This recurrent theme and allusion to delectable dishes make her poems more laudable. They strike the perfect keys of our life

She is also a social thinker.

Her “double shift” expresses her concern for the doctors and nurses who fought for the lives of others in the pandemic situation, risking their own lives.

Sleep

“This night I slept

 beautifully, deep, oblivious

awakened filled with gratitude

 No new poems penned my words will wait

 no tuning into late-night tennis tournaments

 no bargaining with God for elusive

 nights of longed-for sought-after slumber…”

Let Peace In

“My idea has always been that if we could bring the mothers of various nations together, then there would be no more war” quoting from E.M. Forster’s  Howards End in this poem she sings the song of peace. I think it is the best poem on peace.

“When your past is climbing fences just to

 pound upon your door at three a.m.

 forgive yourself, look ahead let peace in …”

Alvina’s Verdict:

You are the Poem is a great celebration of poetic pleasure. The pages are smeared with the pulsating heartthrob of poetic contemplations and beautiful pictures.

It is a marvellous journey with the poetess that emphasizes the consolidated integration… You Are the Poem.

Contemplation of A Phoenix In Flight

(for Annette)

 “On wings of doves, you begin

in freedom, you have found an extraordinary

voice

celebration of your journey’s path forward

 In tranquillity

 your words returned”