When the leaves turn colors
and begin to fall
and the earth turns hard beneath my feet
each winter
I bury my aspirations
until they thaw in the spring
when being vulnerable
is socially acceptable
and at least if they get wet
I can hang them out to dry in no time
beneath the sun’s rays.
But I have decided
that no burial is needed this Autumn
because I’m counting on these aspirations
to keep me warm
all winter long.
Why Pears 