Second Place – “My Husband Dreams About Tomatoes”

When he woke this morning
he said he’d been explaining
to the chef at L’Etoile
where to buy the best tomatoes
and I was not surprised.

He visits every farmer at the market
shuns those perfect shiny-skinned globes
you could use to prop up a table
seeks out heirlooms
doesn’t care about their looks
their color the cracks at the top
where they’re eager to burst
sniffs them rolls his eyes
with anticipation. I know
he’s already tasting the BLT on toast
the slices with basil and mozzarella.

Remember how in old movies
“tomato” was what guys called
that kind of woman
who click-clacked down the street
in high heels and a tight skirt?
That’s some tomato, they’d say
somebody like Frank Sinatra
or maybe Humphrey Bogart
leaning against a shiny Pontiac convertible
flicking away a cigarette.

Well, tomatoes aren’t what they used to be
and neither are we. I’m glad my husband
is a connoisseur of vintage
of overripe and somewhat flawed.

I am a Middleton poet who spends as much time in Door County as possible. I have four books of poetry: A Blessing of Trees, Days We Are Given, Conversations with Thoreau, and Praise the Undaunted is a collaboration with Sharon Auberle and includes her art.

Judge’s Comments:

How sensuous and evocative the simple “tomato” becomes in this well constructed poem.