Linda Pastan Revisits the Espaliered Pear Trees

How the twists and turns of branches

cling to the wall that imprisons

them and the bark, thick and gnarly,

has grown shaggy like the winter

coat of the pony gazing at

all the cars that pass the field where

it has been grazing. Each petal,

the shape of an uncultured pearl

with its polished luster and sheen,

drops to the earth and to my feet

as I drop to my knees and glimpse

a hint of Eden, a slice of

paradise, a piece of heaven,

and almost taste the crisp sweetness

of mature pears out of season.

DEBORAH DOOLITTLE is the author of Floribunda and three chapbooks, No Crazy Notions, That Echo, and Bogbound. Read more.


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Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden (Excerpt)