I Do
by James Purdy

I’ll mail lilacs & lilies
& roses to you,
& great big hats
with ribbons of blue

will express brass & tympani
and the honey sax
if you vow to espouse
the king of the cats

you’ll sit on a throne
of diamonds and moss
& your crown’ll be gold,
sprinkled with dross.

this offer comes once
in a lifetime or two
pin on your wings
& say I do.

From The Running Sun by James Purdy
(Paul Warner Press)
Copyright 1968 by James Purdy