Grandson Observing a New Apple

Dressed in a red, black, and blue
lumberjack shirt, year-old Peyton

picks up an apple from a wicker basket,
holds it in his outstretched hand,

and looks at it as if he is the first
human being ever to see such

a magnificent piece of work in any garden
in which any human has ever stood still.

As his dark eyes ripen like fruits,
warm sunlight bathes his face.

The way he looks at what he sees
is better than any prayer I can say.

By Norbert Krapf

(Norbert Krapf is a member of St. Mary Parish in Indianapolis and was chosen as the Indiana Poet Laureate from 2008-10.) †

The Criterion