"The Village Pear Tree"

Many years passed - and outside the bakery,
a solitary pear tree stood in the middle of the town.

It blossomed in white lace through spring,
and fruited when the sun cooled down
as crisp leaves crunched underfoot.

Pears from this little tree made pies,
warming townsfolk when "the westerlies" blew.
Few things are as prized as some stewed spiced pear,
in place of pineapples, mangoes, pawpaws, citrus, lychee,
avocadoes, and macadamia nuts dancing in the sunshine.
Pear trees are treasured, and not often seen growing
on the red or grey soils of Blackall Range villages.
When 'Kero Kev' bought the bakery buildings -
no hot bread aromas greeted customers the next day,
for a night fire razed it all to ash - and the tree turned black.
But rumours quickly spread about an old farmer taking a cutting or two
years earlier, and some oldtimers are still searching around his acreage...
~
in mountain village
the only pear tree combusts
whispers of saplings