Pear
A July Submission Poem by Dorie Snow
Pear
If I offer you a pear,
I am offering you, my silence.
If I suggest you taste the sweet tinged
with bitterness at the core,
I am turning my back
on your progression.
If I take the time to slice the pear,
and present it beautifully,
I am struggling
with my decision
to let you go.
And as I carefully
arrange the pieces
on a plate
To look like a flower
I will hand it to you
With sadness and gratitude
As I gently ask you
To leave my life.
Let go of what does not serve you.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate your time. Many Blessings.
Dorie
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Reflection: Pear
Pear refers to the tree and the fruit of that tree. There exist about 3,000 varieties of pears worldwide varying in both shape and taste.
With a history that goes back to prehistoric times, pears carry deep symbolism.
In some cultures, the pear tree has been considered a symbol of prosperity, good health, happiness, abundance and more. In the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, the first gift is a partridge in a pear tree.
In Greek mythology, pears have been associated with Hera, Aphrodite and Pomona. Maybe due to the association between the shape of the pear being symbolic of the female form in the art world for centuries, as it alludes to sensuality, femininity and fertility.
As for China, it’s said that the pear is a symbol of immortality, likely due to the pear tree being a long-living one that can reach the age of 250 years.
The Chinese Moon goddess Chang’e is associated with pears.
And is in China where pears have been seen as ancient symbols of love, marital fidelity, but also of separation.
It’s said that in Chinese, the word fen li means “sharing a pear”, which pronunciation is similar to the word for “separation”, and it is considered bad luck for a couple to share this fruit.
And that’s the perfect segue to discuss Dorie Snow/雪多丽’s poem.
In Dorie’s poem, the pear is used as both a symbol for separation—following the Chinese tradition—and indirect communication.
When Dorie offers you a pear, what you get is her silence.
The contrast of offering silence as something you give, instead of something you take away (words between people) is powerful. Silence is the fruit of what words have failed to communicate leading to this point.
But the offerings don’t stop there.
The poem continues and after offering the pear, there’s the suggestion of tasting the pear, “sweet tinged / with bitterness at the core”. The natural bittersweet taste of separation.
“I’m turning my back / on your progression.”
With your backed turned to someone’s progression, there’s no other way to go than to the opposite direction.
Said with determination.
The poem continues. We’re presented with a possibility: “If I take the time to slice the pear”
This might happen.
It might not.
If it does, Dorie will present you the sliced pear beautifully.
This is not someone chopping a pear for quick consumption, this presentation deserves appreciation.
The struggle deserves acknowledgment.
Just because the decision has been made, it doesn’t make it easier.
The gentleness of the poem can’t be overstated.
The pear is sliced. The heart is broken. The relationship is gone.
There’s no turning back.
Just like you can’t put back together a sliced pear.
The final act: arranging the pieces on a plate to look like a flower.
Handed “with sadness and gratitude”
This is a gift. But it’s a gift that’s asking something of you.
A gentle ask: “leave my life”
Dorie’s poem is a beautiful request in the form of a gift of someone with a heart so big that even when asking for something, it can’t help itself from giving beauty.
That’s the bittersweet nature of heartbreak.
That’s the pear in this poem.
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Love all this!
If I offer you a pear,
I am offering you, my silence...
This says a lot.