My word for the year is savor—
as in this ripe Anjou pear,
the soft red skin
opening sweet gritty rivers
in my mouth.

I do not know when I will die.
It is none of my business.

So now, bring me figs and prosciutto,
almonds and honey, paired with Pinot.
Take my hand
beside a luminous stream
next to the bur oak,
its branches like our own—
wide-reaching into full fall sun.

The world is always ending, isn’t it?
Maybe we are meant for now.

Taking our seat
on this warm patch of earth
as tangerine sun caps
over the western sky
and you offering me
sweet dusk in a cup.

Nancy Noelke lives and writes in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Her work has appeared in The Physician Executive, HR Magazine, Spirituality and Health Magazine, Coulee Region Women’s Magazine, Third Wednesday Magazine, the WFOP Calendar, and The Metaworker LitMag. She published her first collection of poetry, What We Keep, in 2024.