Our friend and Seattle icon, Peter Miller, is a book seller ( www.petermiller.com) , “a fish monger”, a community maker and a top notch midnight- pancake- chef (as the Schneider Boys can attest). But  to those of us  fortunate enough to be blessed each Christmas Eve with a gift from Peter, he is a poet. A street poet, or in this case… a tomato can poet.

On  par with Billy Collins any day (if Billy wrote inserts for Bazooka),  his  words resonate with thoughtfulness & humor – sharp as it may be. His wife tells of his tossing and turning in advance of the final tome each year. Our family  arrives at the bookstore the night before Christmas in anticipation of our 28oz. can of Italian pomidori (whole of course and always good quality) …. Will we get them this year?…. Is he still doing them? (God willing)…. What will he say? Do I have room on the “tomato poetry shelf” in my kitchen or will I have to move some wine glasses and grandmother’s salt cellar? (Every kitchen should have a tomato poetry shelf).

So it is with great honor and celebration of the season that we at JAS present portraits of some of our favorite verses from Christmas Past. And here’s to the Tomato Can Poet. Merry Christmas Peter!

“It’s one thing when ulterior motive is an additive, And quite another when it is the fuel itself.”