The Pear

Jamie Alm

The only sin in life is drying up.
We have to do everything
to remain green
and juicy and wet.
— Hildegard of Bingen

The only
time, or perhaps the first time, I gluttonously indulged in a
meal, there were seven courses, paired with wines, poured
throughout the evening. Even today, this sensuous affair
murmurs throughout my imagination. If this is

sin in life,
then I have sinned greatly. Since that meal, I have lusted over
the avocado confit, I have been prickled by the mere thought
of nettle ravioli. And sometimes, nothing will do but a juicy
duck.

Is drying up
possible after greedily devouring sable fish swimming in
succulent broth? Impossible! I say. That day, I learned to float
in the grace of a life where

we have to do
nothing but receive. I might spend this entire day, slowly,
slothfully, slicing an onion. A wasted day attempting to
emulate the great chef who once brought my whole body
alive with a single meal. I have nothing to lose and

everything
to gain. The world is full of lavish feasts for anyone hungry
enough to sit and eat. But, to savor, to slow down in this
hurried world, is to receive the wrath of those who demand
more but are never satisfied. They fabricate fantasies-
scared and staring at scarcity. But I have learned

to remain
open to the feast appearing in unexpected places. You will
envy me. I have sipped black cardamom tea in the gritty one-
bedroom apartment; a guest at the banquet table of medical
bills multiplying into miracles. I have sat in a throne room,
cushioned by the leather couch in the mobile home as we
beheld the first word uttered by the autistic child, invoking
joyful laughter heard only in heaven.

Hungry again today, I gaze at the simple

green and juicy
pear. Dripping from my backyard tree- the pride of all
creation. She too belongs in this great feast. I take and eat.
Savoring each scandalous bite. I know that I belong to a life
abundant, juicy

and wet.

Jamie Alm
Poet & Mother

Jamie lives and builds community in South Seattle. She is a mother to three school-aged daughters. When not working as a speech therapist or exploring the world of Narrative Medicine, she carves out time to write poetry and bake.

Photography by Eneida Nieves