The James Hearst Digital Archive

Home » Poetry » Tasters

Tasters

Text of Poem

The summer sun made blood like sap
rise till her lily face blushed red,
he felt the swell and wash of love
nuzzle his veins from toe to head.

In Eden’s garden ripened fruit
dripped sweet between the lips, alas
birds sang a warning soft as breath,
the smart snakes gossiped in the grass.

First Line
The summer sun made blood like sap
Original Pub Location
Original Publication Date
1964
Original Citation
Midwest Quarterly 5 (Summer 1964) 293.
Complete Poems
142
Hearst Collections
Word Count
54
Poetic Form
closed
Themes
Twitter Quote
In Eden’s garden ripened fruit / dripped sweet between the lips