“The Cyclops’ Garden”: A Poem by Vincent Barrett Price
From the Archives
From the Archives is a column that highlights stories, essays, and poems dating back to the magazine’s founding. In this special Halloween edition, Robert Rea looks at a poem by Vincent Barrett Price.
Vincent Barrett Price is a poet, memoirist, journalist, and editor. For the past fifty years or so, he has lived in New Mexico, where he writes about environmental issues, indigenous cultures, and Southwestern architecture. In 2007, he published a career-spanning book of selected poems, Broken and Reset. He also happens to be the son of horror icon Vincent Price.
“The Cyclops’ Garden” is the first of Price’s four poems featured in SwR. It appeared in our autumn issue from 1967 and was later included in his debut book of poetry, also titled The Cyclops’ Garden.
—RR
The Cyclops’ Garden
by Vincent Barrett Price
To whom it may concern,
as proof of my good faith,
contrition, my devout
submission to romance
I’ll simply split this eye
right down the middle,
slit it deep as my nail will go,
]part the edges smartly back,
lay to rest a cherry pit inside
then wait till spring,
till you pass by,
for it to blossom;
love is blind.
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