Welcome back to The Daily Poem. I'm David Kern and today is Friday, June 4th, 2021.

Today's poem is by an American poet, one of my favorites, Jane Kenyon. She lived from May 23rd,

1947 until April 22nd, 1995. I wanted to make sure to recognize the recent occasion of her

birthday just 10 days ago, was her birthday.

She died young at 47 of cancer, unfortunately, but is a really wonderful poet.

And so I wanted to share a poem with you.

It's called Coming Home at Twilight in Late Summer.

It was published in Poetry Magazine in 1983.

It's not long.

It goes like this.

Coming home at twilight in late summer.

We turned into the drive,

and gravel flew up from the tires like sparks from a fire.

So much to be done. The unpacking, the mail and papers, the grass needed

mowing. We climbed stiffly out of the car. The shut-off engine ticked as it cooled. And then we noticed

the pear tree.

The limbs, so heavy with fruit, they nearly touched the ground.

We went out to the meadow.

Our steps made black holes in the grass, and we each took a pair and ate, we're grateful. I'm a big fan of this poem.

And I'm not going to say a lot about it because,

well, I'll let Wendell Berry say it for himself.

He wrote that Jane Kenyon's poems need no introduction

...