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
Some People
some people never go crazy.
me, sometimes I’ll lie down behind the couch
for 3 or 4 days.
they’ll find me there.
it’s Cherub, they’ll say, and
they pour wine down my throat
rub my chest
sprinkle me with oils.
then, I’ll rise with a roar,
rant, rage –
curse them and the universe
as I send them scattering over the
lawn.
I’ll feel much better,
sit down to toast and eggs,
hum a little tune,
suddenly become as lovable as a
pink
overfed whale.
some people never go crazy.
what truly horrible lives
they must lead.
– Charles Bukowski
Tagged: Charles Bukowski, dark humor, social commentary, unsettling