To prepare cherries for a pie,
it takes at least two hands, three bowls,
a colander–after the high
climb up the ladder in the trees.
I used a bucket; she a bag.
My legs gave out too soon. I sat
and waited in the car. Our dog,
old Blazer, mewed upon his mat
in the back seat till she returned
and made our pack complete.
……………………………She washed
the cherries in the colander.
The pits came bursting through under
the pressure of my thumb. The pie
smells grand. No friends will I ask by…

Cherries to pies

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, June 13, 2015