Do the angels eat apples? I wonder. . . .
A bell tinkled under the trees,
A shadow along the white roadway
Cast smoke to an old horse’s knees. . . .
Oh, dinging and donging forever
A peddler was crying forlorn,
The psalm of his gay, hidden garden
The psalm of his cabbage and corn.
Half asleep under softness of summer
A thousand doors darkened with men;
Oh, give us fit food for a driver,
A dunce or a chittering wren!
Half asleep through the tarnish of mid-day,
Umber hands loosened hold on the reins:
He sold them the curse in their foreheads,
He sold them the blood in their veins.
Will the angels eat cherries? I wonder. . . .
A swift, happy rustle of wings,
And a coin tossed to poor Willie s halo
As down the deep pathway he sings!
Will he seek, as he endlessly peddles
His plums through viridian skies,
For the customers darkened in doorways
Who felt the light laugh of his eyes?
(Mackinlay Kantor)
More Poetry from Mackinlay Kantor:
Mackinlay Kantor Poems based on Topics: Man, Happiness, Nature, Light, Summer, Angels, CuriosityReaders Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Light Poems, Nature Poems, Happiness Poems, Summer Poems, Angels Poems, Curiosity PoemsBased on Keywords: peddler, umber, tinkled, chittering, peddles, viridian, dinging