The Pear Tree
Pity there was no ceremony
for the lobe of lung they took
the teeth all pulled, the hip replaced
the colon halved by increments
the ulcer cut from his foot
no ceremony for any of them.
Before the last ride to the ER
on the day he is losing his home
let us praise the missing pieces
curse the cocaine kicked too late
the diabetes, the cigarettes never kicked
praise the surgeon who said
you ought to have died many times by now
a saying he wears like a medal
and perhaps that’s the missing
ceremony for the missing parts.
They ought to have killed him, one of the many
heart attacks ought to have killed him
and something will, as it will me and you
dear reader, without ceremony
like the man I saw once who climbed
to the top of a Bradford pear and cut it down
limb by limb as he descended.
I was glad to see it gone but a little
shocked at how casually it came down
first tree then stump then level ground.
This piece was published in 2023 as part of the 12th Annual Mormon Lit Blitz by the Mormon Lit Lab. Sign up for our newsletter for future updates.
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