Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


BACCHUS by JACK MERTEN

First Line: THE BLOOD OF FULL GRAPES SWELLS MY WOODEN GOBLET
Last Line: BEFORE THE BARRED DOOR OF ETERNITY.
Subject(s): DRINKS & DRINKING; FUTURE LIFE; GRAPES; WINE; RETRIBUTION; ETERNITY; AFTER LIFE;

The blood of full grapes swells my wooden goblet
and my lips drip purple with the stain;
I squat and sip, with jaws and chin dripping
blue drops of bitter sunshine and sweet rain;
while thin passers-by, with cold, dim faces
stare, pale as reeds in the veil of a misty river.

I am the prophet of the grape
who sit begging on the flagged steps
before the barred door of eternity.



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