(Lines prompted by a Delia Smith cookery programme)
A pair of pears to be prepared,
Two pears, a pair, au pair to pare.
The blade is blunt, the task impaired,
Such disrepair, au pair despaired.
The blade repaired, the pears soon pared,
Pared pears, a pair, au pair prepared.
A spare pair pared, the pears compared,
Four pears prepared, two pear pairs pared.
Which leaves
Au pair a pair of pared pears spare.