Michael Battisto

Distillation of Pears

This is the machinery of autumn:
extracting sugars
from the ghost of a flower.

We drink what is offered
because it means another forgetting.
When we look into our cups

we see an entire season of skies.
When the cups are empty
we can stop looking at ourselves.

We can dance without thinking of our feet.
In the cold air our speech
will contain the warmth of a younger sun.

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Michael Battisto is a poet and chef. His work can be found or forthcoming in About Place Journal, NOON, Frogpond, Acorn and Modern Haiku. Born in Chicago, he lived in New York, Wyoming, Arizona and Texas. Now he lives in Oakland, California.