The Peaceable Kingdom
The morning in this place comes lightly in,
on tiptoe like your mother: getting up
before you do to pull aside the drape
so gently you don't notice til it's done.
And there you are: the morning laid before
you, not a fingerprint or footprint on
it, like an apricot whose downy skin
has not known teeth till now. And over here,
two naked children sleeping unafraid,
their bodies golden, never burned by sun
or wind to ruddiness. Against her spine,
his perfect nose. On such a day the world
is fit for anything: a lamb is sleeping
with a lion, and a snake is walking.
October 13, 1977