Born in Brooklyn in the 1930s and now living in Manhattan, Betty Farber uses warmth and humor in writing poems that are love letters to New York City. Whether about a "Butterfly in the City," or "Everyday Bravery," or "Bagels and Romance," these poems voice a personal point-of-view of life in New York. The following poem was inspired by a conversation Betty overheard when she was in line to buy bagels.

BAGELS AND ROMANCE

Bagelworks on First Avenue
Sells a variety of bagels
To please anyone's taste.
I'm waiting for my order to be filled.

A woman behind me is talking
On a cell phone to her boyfriend.
"I'm at Bagelworks right now.
What kind of bagel do you want:
Sesame, whole wheat, pumpernickel
Sourdough, poppy seed, everything?
What? A plain bagel?" She is incredulous
And complains to the nearest stranger,
"I thought he was unique, unconventional,
And he orders a plain bagel. I may
Have to rethink this relationship."

"That man is in deep trouble," I say to myself,
As I pay for my bagel order.
With an eye on my own relationships
I take home sesame, sourdough, everything.

Betty's poetry, articles, and stories have been published in magazines and journals. She received her B.A. in English and Elementary Education from Webster College in Webster Groves, Missouri, and her M.Ed. from Memphis State University in Tennessee. She is active at Quest, a community for lifelong learning, affiliated with the City University of New York.