Prisoners

By Denise Levertov 1923–1997 Denise Levertov

Though the road turn at last

to death’s ordinary door,

and we knock there, ready

to enter and it opens

easily for us,

yet

all the long journey

we shall have gone in chains,

fed on knowledge-apples

acrid and riddled with grubs.

We taste other food that life,

like a charitable farm-girl,

holds out to us as we pass—

but our mouths are puckered,

a taint of ash on the tongue.

It’s not joy that we’ve lost—

wildfire, it flares

in dark or shine as it will.

What’s gone

is common happiness,

plain bread we could eat

with the old apple of knowledge.

That old one—it griped us sometimes,

but it was firm, tart,

sometimes delectable ...

The ashen apple of these days

grew from poisoned soil. We are prisoners

and must eat

our ration. All the long road

in chains, even if, after all,

we come to

death’s ordinary door, with time

smiling its ordinary

long-ago smile.

Source: Oblique Prayers (1984)

Biography

During the course of a prolific career, Denise Levertov created a highly regarded body of poetry that reflects her beliefs as an artist and a humanist. Her work embraces a wide variety of genres and themes, including nature lyrics, love poems, protest poetry, and poetry inspired by her faith in God. "Dignity, reverence, and strength are words that come to mind as one gropes to characterize . . . one of America's most respected . . .

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