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Home  »  Poetry: A Magazine of Verse  »  Edith Wyatt

Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). The New Poetry: An Anthology. 1917.

Summer Hail

Edith Wyatt

ONCE the heavens’ gabled door

Opened: down a stabled floor,

Down the thunders, something galloped far and wide,

Glancing far and fleet

Down the silver street—

And I knew of nothing, nothing else beside.

Pitty patty polt—

Shoe the wild colt!

Here a nail! There a nail!

Pitty patty polt!

Good and badness, die away.

Strength and swiftness down the day,

Dapple happy down my glancing silver street!

Oh, the touch of summer cold!—

Beauty swinging quick and bold,

Dipping, dappling where the distant roof-tops meet!

Pitty patty polt—

Shoe the wild colt!

Listen, dusty care:

Through a magic air,

Once I watched the way of perfect splendor ride,

Swishing far and gray,

Buoyant and gay—

And I knew of nothing, nothing else beside.

Good and badness, go your ways,

Vanish far and fleet.

Strength and swiftness run my days,

Down my silver street.

Little care, forevermore

Be you lesser than before.

Mighty frozen rain,

Come! oh, come again!

Let the heavens’ door be rended

With the touch of summer cold—

Dappling hoof-beats clatter splendid,

Infinitely gay and bold!

Pitty patty polt—

Shoe the wild colt!

Here a nail and there a nail!

Pitty patty polt!

Once the heavens’ gabled door

Opened: down the stabled floor,

Down the thunders something galloped wide and far;

Something dappled far and fleet,

Glancing down my silver street,

And I saw the ways of life just as they are.

Pitty patty polt.

Shoe the wild colt!

Here a nail! There a nail!

Pitty patty polt!