Richard Kendall Munkittrick

A PALE Italian peasant,

Beside the dusty way,

Upon this morning pleasant

Kneels in the sun to pray.

Silent in her devotion,

With fervent glance she pleads;

Her finger’s only motion,

Telling her amber beads.

Dreaming of ilex bowers

Beyond the purple brine

Once more she sees the flowers

Bloom at the wayside shrine.

And, while the mad crowd jostles,

She, with a visage sweet,

Prays where the bisque apostles

Are sold on Barclay Street.