Pears
by Joy Green
On the sun-warmed shelf they loll, lazy -
seven golden opportunities
for frangipane, spiced softness,
for juice running down a greedy chin,
to be caught on his fingertip and conveyed
back to a mouth opened by laughter.
Later as that sun sinks and
paints roofs with rouge
we will wander through streets
listen to guitar melodies
floating from bars and
almost
kiss.
But we will wait
for the moment when
the moon, reflected in a puddle, lights us;
wait for the memory that will
haunt and hang out with us forever -
the friendliest of ghosts.
This poem was written by Joy as part of 'Poets under Pressure' in response to National Geographic's '50 Greatest Photographs' and the scene overlooking Moscow, with five pears adorning the window sill. Poets were given ten minutes to create poetry about a photograph chosen from a member of the audience.