Papa as a meringue pie?

In my current reading and research into the life and work of the American poet William Stafford, this little item caught my attention. It’s from an interview with Stafford, conducted by Steven Hind, in 1984, and appearing in the book Kansas Poems of William Stafford (ed., Denise Low). On the topic of Robert Frost, Stafford recalls hearing someone, possibly Gerald Heard, say, “Only saints are hard all the way through.” He adds, “Well, Frost is no saint, and he’s crusty, but the pie’s pretty soft inside. Of course, Frost may be a strange one to say that about, but Hemingway was a spectacular example of a crusty meringue pie.” — sbp