by William Carlos Williams
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
I've always been fond of shape poems, and I would never have thought of writing a poem about something as prosaic as a wheelbarrow.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
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Amazing isn't it? Some people can make anything interesting!! All in how you look at it, I guess. Thanks for sharing the poem.
ReplyDeleteClassic. WCW's a fave of mine, and - surprisingly for me - my students take to his work as well. Lovin' the chickens in the cartoon, as I'm the proud human caregiver of two fabulously independent hens. Of Williams's work, I'm a particular fan of the near-equally ubiquitous "This Is Just To Say" for its savage yet quotidian irony...
ReplyDeletegood poem! I haven't seen a shape poem since grammar school. i might do one next wweek.
ReplyDeleteCoreena--I know right? I never would have thought about the prosaic beauty of a wheelbarrow.
ReplyDeleteLaurie--I *love* "This is Just to Say" and I thought about putting that one in this week's post, but I plumped for the red wheelbarrow instead because it was one of those "warm sun after the rain" days here. Congrats on your hens! What breed are they? Some of my friends in Indy have hens that are quite the layers. And, of course, I have my little angel cockatiels :)
Sidne--I know what you mean about not having seen one since grammar school...Shape poems are under-rated as gimmicky because many authors who really *can't* write poetry substitute shape for content. Still, good shape poems are VERY good--I'm thinking of George Herbert's "Easter Wings" in particular.