Prufrock dithered o'er a peach;
Williams nicked his housemate's plum;
Housman fancied cherry trees,
And going off in search of some.
Peaches, plums, and cherries all
Have fleshy fruits and stony hearts –
A metaphor that's ripe for those
Employed in versifiers' arts.
The apple's not unknown to bards,
And yet its kin, the quince and pear –
If there are verses penned to them,
I gather that they're somewhat rare.
While tastes in verse, like fruits, will go
From bloom through fullness to decay,
The theme that underlies them all
Continues to the present day:
Anthologies of modern verse,
From colleges to well-read homes,
May offer drupes – low-hanging fruits –
But little in the way of pomes.