Apples of the Earth

Darby Riley

October 5, 2025

Four red potatoes in a straw basket

in kitchen corner, getting old and soft,

sprouting many eyes.  They weren’t good to eat

so I planted them in the garden, five

inches deep, twelve inches apart.  Nothing 

for a few weeks and then boom!  Dark green leaves

sprouting where potatoes had been buried.

A few weeks later, four dark green bushes.

When harvest?  Someone said, when they flower.

Another said, when their leaves turn yellow.

One bush turned yellow, so I dug it up.

Underneath, five perfect red potatoes

(several little red balls clinging to roots).

We washed them, cut them, and baked them, lightly

dressed with olive oil and parmesan cheese,

and we ate them, gratefully, joyfully.

Darby Riley, a native San Antonian, has been married to Chris Riley since 1971. They have three grown children and a 10-year-old granddaughter.  He has hosted a monthly poetry writing workshop for over 30 years.  He practices law with his son Charles and is active in the local Sierra Club.