Fiat Camena

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

– William Carlos Williams

Submitted by:

Tia, who says “Guaranteed to frustrate many an English teacher, WCW gets away by making you, the reader think. He doesn’t put forward his ideas, no, he leaves it to you. The sparse text could mean, or not mean, a number of things. Almost a random observation, this one. But his masterpiece.”

Postscript:

More about the poem itself here. This also reminds me of this poem, which refers to it and gently pokes fun of it. I think you aren’t an institution until this happens, no?

Tagged: imagery, poignant, William Carlos Williams