The eighth poem in our series is "The Emperor of Ice Cream" by Wallace Stevens. This is one of my most favorite poems! We read this poem in class on Monday, November 1.
Click here to read Mr. Stevens's biography on poets.org. You can read the poem on poets.org by clicking on the title (below).
by Wallace Stevens
Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
About "The Emperor of Ice-Cream":
This poem is apparently "set" in Key West, a place that inspired much of Stevens's work, and where it was a tradition to have ice cream at funerals.
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