William James, Henry James

Great gift of purple apples! The distant stars, the far-in sugars
of their skins. With light in certain
shades of the world, autumn of limited
use in the world, I could go
for a day
in the word canteen.

In the world outside
I have yet to put in. It looks as though the bridges
are standing in aquarelle. You know propitious
comes of going-forward. Where the horse in mind
unfastens earth, fastens thirst
to a treelike task.

From Green is the Orator by Sarah Gridley. Copyright © 2010 by Sarah Gridley. Used by permission of University of California Press. All rights reserved.