This Is Just To Say Poem by William Carlos Williams

This Is Just To Say

Rating: 3.6


I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Lamont Palmer 12 August 2010

In reality, this isn't a poem but merely a couple of remarks. It never should've been seen (not to mention HAILED) as a poem. Its funny how WCW accused Eliot of taking poetry out of the hands of the 'people' through using dense language and obscure allusions. But I feel WCW did much more to ruin poetry's 'popularity' by ridding it of music and meter, by making it so plain as to be 'unmemorable.' At least Eliot kept the rhythms and the sense of meter. Williams changed the art of poetry completely - thus watering it down. -LP

29 71 Reply
shelley 28 December 2021

Read a haiku, then looks at some paintings, understand some cognitive archeology, study a bit of buddhism, maybe throw in some hindu literature and you'll have an answser. but I we could be wrong.

1 0
Georgios Venetopoulos 17 September 2014

This write cannot be called a poem. It is not even a piece of literature but only a random, very common thought.

18 49 Reply
Wayne Cunningham 21 December 2017

Who died and made you God? I'm confounded by statements like this. Why do you need a poem definition? Some of the most common thoughts and feelings have made the most profound poetry. Shall I part my hair behind?

3 1
jim hoigg 22 February 2021

Agreed, Georgios. If a random member of the public had written the above words I suspect they'd have been less highly regarded. As for the Eliot except below: on it's own it's insignificant. The whole poem, however, is quite a different story.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 07 April 2024

I will repeat my own comments done earlier, CONGRATS being chosen as The Modern Poem Of The Day!

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 16 March 2024

My last comment: Congratulations being chosen by Poem Hunter and Team as The Modern Poem Of The Day, of course these words go to the closest relatives of the late poet.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 16 March 2024

This is about temptation, guilt, and simple pleasures. The poet confesses to having sneakily eaten plums from an icebox, acknowledging that they were probably meant for breakfast. The poem is also about domestic relationships, forgiveness, and insincere apologies

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Sylvia Frances Chan 16 March 2024

I THOUGHT my comments I left here, but now none to see/read, okay, I will give once again my comment(s)

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 16 March 2024

This Modern Poem Of The Day is about temptation, guilt, and simple pleasures.

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