just mercedes

that apple

glowing in the blue glass dish

vibrant in its is-ness



sacred to Apollo

font of Avalon



offers itself

from the first garden

sweet as knowledge

bitter as wisdom



from Iduna's box

food to keep gods

forever young

or food for the dead



stolen by Hercules

from Hera's orchard

dragon-guarded

in the Hesperides



given by Aphrodite

to Hippomenes, to win

fair Atalanta in an unfair race



Discord-rolled

into a wedding

so the prettiest one

began a war



yet standing for happy

union in marriage

fertility



fire-bird's prize

on snowy steppes

food for Europe's golden bird



mermaids and peahens

pass it on

through Wandering Aengus

and Johnny Appleseed

down to me



strange as any symbol

unknowable ding an sich



homely as pie, cooling

on suburban window sill



golden apple of the sun

history of gods and man

desire and temptation

mystical, forbidden



all of these

all of this



is apple