White Apples and the Taste of Stone: Selected Poems 1946-2006 Book

Contents

1. Early Poems Old Home Day · 3 Love Is Like Sounds · 3 Wedding Party · 3 Exile · 4 Exile (1968) · 7 Elegy for Wesley Wells · 8 My Son My Executioner · 10 The Sleeping Giant · 11 Je Suis une Table · 11 Dancers · 12 By the Exeter River · 13 T.R. · 14 The Hole · 14 Religious Articles · 15 The Foundations of American Industry · 16 Cops and Robbers · 17 Sestina · 18 Waiting on the Corners · 19 “Marat’s Death” · 20 “The Kiss” · 21 “Between the Clock and the Bed” · 22 Christ Church Meadows, Oxford · 22 Christmas Eve in Whitneyville · 23

2. The Musk Ox The Long River · 29 The Snow · 29 The Farm · 31 The Moon · 32 The Child · 33 The Poem · 34 Wells · 34 An Airstrip in England, 1960 · 35 New Hampshire · 35 Self-Portrait as a Bear · 36 Orange Knee Socks · 36 Sleeping · 37 “King and Queen” · 38 “Reclining Figure” · 38 Digging · 39 The Pilot of 1918 · 40 Letter to an English Poet · 40 Stump · 42 In the Kitchen of the Old House · 45 The Days · 46 Swan · 47 The Man in the Dead Machine · 49

3. I Am the Fox The Alligator Bride · 53 Sew · 54 The Coal Fire · 55 The Blue Wing · 55 Woolworth’s · 56 The Repeated Shapes · 57 Crewcuts · 58 Tall Women · 59 The Table · 60 Mount Kearsarge · 61 The Young Watch Us · 62 Gold · 62 Waters · 63 Nose · 64 Stones · 64 The Dump · 65 The High Pasture · 65 The Green Shelf · 66 Adultery at Forty · 67 To a Waterfowl · 67 Fete · 68 Eleanor’s Letters · 69 The Raisin · 70 The Town of Hill · 71 White Apples · 72

4. Root Cellar Maple Syrup · 75 The Toy Bone · 77 O Cheese · 78 Kicking the Leaves · 79 Eating the Pig · 82 Wolf Knife · 86 On Reaching the Age of Two Hundred · 89 The Flies · 90 Ox Cart Man · 94 Stone Walls · 95 Old Roses · 99 Traffic · 100

5. Lady Ghost The Black-Faced Sheep · 105 Names of Horses · 107 Great Day in the Cows’ House · 109 The Henyard Round · 112 New Animals · 114 Scenic View · 115 Old Timers’ Day · 115 The Baseball Players · 116 Granite and Grass · 117 A Sister on the Tracks · 118 A Sister by the Pond · 120 The Day I Was Older · 124 For an Exchange of Rings · 125 The Impossible Marriage · 126 Mr. Wakeville on Interstate 90 · 127 My Friend Felix · 128 Merle Bascom’s .22 · 129 Cider 5? a Glass · 131 Oliver at Thirteen · 136 Edward’s Anecdote · 137

6. The One Day Shrubs Burnt Away · 143 Four Classic Texts · 156 To Build a House · 169

7. The Height and House of Desire Tubes · 181 Moon Clock · 183 Carol · 183 Persistence of 1937 · 184 Six Naps in One Day · 184 The Coffee Cup · 185 This Poem · 186 Praise for Death · 189 Speeches · 196 The Night of the Day · 200 Another Elegy · 208

8. Baseball The First Inning · 217 The Second Inning · 219 The Third Inning · 222 The Fourth Inning · 224 The Fifth Inning · 227 The Sixth Inning · 230 The Seventh Inning · 232 The Eighth Inning · 235 The Ninth Inning · 237

9. The Museum of Clear Ideas Decius — Whose Guileful · 243 We’ve Come to Expect · 244 Let Engine Cowling · 246 Winter’s Asperity Mollifi es · 247 Who’s This Fellow · 249 I’m Not Up to It · 249 Let Many Bad Poets · 250 In the Name Of · 252 Mount Kearsarge Shines · 252 Camilla, Never Ask · 253 The Times Are Propitious · 254 Drusilla Informs · 256 Ship of State, Hightide · 257 When the Young Husband · 258 Old Woman Whom I · 260 When the Fine Days · 261 When I Was Young · 262 Flaccus, Drive Up · 263 Let Us Meditate the Virtue · 263 We Explore Grief’s · 264 I Suppose You’ve Noticed · 265 Sabina — Who Explored · 266 Go Write a Poem · 267 Nunc Est Bibendum · 268 I, Too, Dislike · 269

10. Extra Innings The Tenth Inning · 273 The Eleventh Inning · 276 The Twelfth Inning · 280 The Thirteenth Inning · 284

11. The Old Life Spring Glen Grammar School · 295 The Hard Man · 297 Venetian Nights · 298 Blue · 299 My Aunt Liz · 299 Screenplay · 300 The Profession · 301 Edit · 302 The Girlfriend · 303 The Giant Broom · 303 Mr. Eliot · 304 Le Jazz · 305 Just Married · 306 Dread · 307 The Fragments · 307 Fame · 308 Forty Years · 309 What Counts · 310 Moon Shot · 311 7? · 312 Elbows · 312 The Wedding Couple · 313 Rain · 314 Beans and Franks · 314 Revisions · 315 Routine · 316

12. ALL Her Long Illness · 319 Barber · 331 The Porcelain Couple · 332 The Ship Pounding · 333 Folding Chair · 334 Her Intent · 335 Without · 335 After Life · 337 Retriever · 341 The Painted Bed · 342

13. Letters Without Addresses Letter with No Address · 345 Midsummer Lettter · 348 Letter in Autumn · 352 Letter at Christmas · 355 Letter in the New Year · 359 Midwinter Letter · 363 Letter after a Year · 366

14. Throwing Away Weeds and Peonies · 373 After Homer · 374 Her Garden · 374 Summer Kitchen · 375 Wool Squares · 375 Pond Afternoons · 376 Hours Hours · 377 The Wish · 377 Another Christmas · 378 Sweater · 379 Distressed Haiku · 380 Throwing the Things Away · 381 The Perfect Lifffffe · 383 Deathwork · 384 Ardor · 385 Kill the Day · 386 Razor · 391 Conversation’s Afterplay · 392 Charity and Dominion · 393 Sun · 394 Villanelle · 394 Love Poem · 395 Affirmation · 395

15. Recent Poems Secrets · 399 The Angels · 400 The Master · 401 Surveyor and Surface · 401 North South · 402 The Mysteries · 404 Olives · 405 After Horace · 406 Tea · 407 Safe Sex · 407 Tennis Ball · 408 1943 · 409 Usage · 409 White Clapboard · 410 Witness’s House · 410 Gospel · 412 We Bring Democracy to the Fish · 413 Fishing for Cats, 1944 · 413 The Hunkering · 414

Note · 416 Index of Titles and First Lines · 417