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This Is Just to Play an Epitaph on an Unre[a]d Verse after William Carlos Williams

Unread Verse


This is just to play on plum phrases

hibernating in your brainbox,

which your neurones were probably waiting for

to break free fast.

 

Forgive me their taste is delicious,

so neat and so bold.

An agèd poet with hollow laughter

swiftly sprayed her incisive syllables

in consonant activity and, yearning,

paid [s]lip service:

so much depends
upon lifelong learning's expectations,
an unread verse [s]pokes for comments,
reigns above lily-livered chicken-hearted critics
before a blank screen.  


Life is verse role-reversing uninclined ignorance

shadowing an inclined ink lined page.

Author notes

robi3_1806_robi3_0000 PVX_IXX 
 
Parody William Carlos Williams 
This Is Just to Say, Epitaph, AND The Red Wheelbarrow

 

This is Just to Say

 

 

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

 

William Carlos WILLIAMS 1883_1963


Variation on a Theme by William Carlos Williams

 

1 I chopped down the house that you had been saving to live in next summer. I am sorry, but it was morning, and I had nothing to do and its wooden beams were so inviting.

2 We laughed at the hollyhocks together and then I sprayed them with lye.
Forgive me. I simply do not know what I am doing.

3 I gave away the money that you had been saving to live on for the next ten years. The man who asked for it was shabby and the firm March wind on the porch was so juicy and cold.

4 Last evening we went dancing and I broke your leg. Forgive me. I was clumsy and I wanted you here in the wards, where I am the doctor !

Kenneth Koch 1925_20


_________


Epitaph

An old willow with hollow branches
slowly swayed his few high bright tendrils
and sang:

Love is a young green willow
shimmering at the bare wood's edge.


William Carlos WILLIAMS 1883_1963


The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon
a red
wheelbarrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens


William Carlos WILLIAMS 1883_1963

____
 

for parodies on Red Wheelbarrow see below

The Yellow Goldfish

so much depends
upon
a yellow gold
fish
washed down with bowl
water
inside the white
kitten

William Carlos Williams’s Cat

Henry BEARD 1945_20xx - Parody William Carlos Williams’s The Red Wheelbarrow

 

The T.V. Guide


So much more depends
upon
a universal remote
control
sitting on a coffee
table
beside the TV
Guide

Chris CLOKE  - Parody William Carlos Williams’s The Red Wheelbarrow
___


An Apology

Forgive me
for backing over
and smashing
your red wheelbarrow.

It was raining
and the rear wiper
does not work on
my new plum-colored SUV.

I am also sorry
about the white
chickens.

Frances Jean BERGMANN
Parody William Carlos WILLIAMS The Red Wheelbarrow
____

The Red Cadillac


Willie 'Slick' Williams reads William Carlos Williams, then writes a letter to the producers of the TV makeover show 'Pimp My Ride', explaining why his car should be featured on the program.'

so much depends
upon

a red cadillac
slick

with turtle
wax

beside the white
chicks

Reginald O'Hare GIBSON 19xx_20xx
Parody William Carlos WILLIAMS The Red Wheelbarrow

____

Stuffing WCW

so much depends
upon

sodium erythorbate
and sugar

mixed with salt
water

inside the processed
chickens.

Unknown Author
Parody William Carlos WILLIAMS The Red Wheelbarrow

In a list

A contest entry

    : , Your review:

    Comment Suggestion: What is your your first impression?
    • Line numbers  • Invite them to read
    : no Cost: 0 free left 0 points, You have (?)

Comments


  • Connor Blackbird
    October 5

    Edit | Reply
    I have (as you well know) had some rather strong objections to your writing in the past; therefore when I saw this I had an expectation, going in. I am very pleasantly surprised. I think what I like about this is how - well, first of all, how you decided to blend three poems instead of just launching off the one, and how it didn't seem to hinder you at all. I like the way you've rearranged this or that, woven the poems into each other, and out of it, created a new interpretation that is actually more than just a synthesis of the three (which would have been ambitious enough given the three you've chosen). I also admire your having taken on such a linguistically sparse poem, given your own style of writing, and I like the in-between stage you reach here.

    There are only two things that I wasn't sure about. I'm still not sold on creating double entendre with that bracket formatting ([s]lip service etc.). Poetry is, after all, a verbally communicated art as often as visually, and how do you read that aloud? I've also never liked the way it looked on-screen, but that's my preference.

    The other thing was the reference to critics on a blank screen, which I assume to be about this very site we're on. I understand the idea but something in me resists localizing your piece that way - I wonder how a line like that would work if you took this poem outside the context of AllPoetry.

    Those, though, are small things. On the whole I was very impressed. Thanks very much for entering!


  • Night Hope gold member
    October 3

    Edit | Reply

    This is just to say that there are some ripe plums in the refrigerator and now I must go consume a few of 'em. Your poems made me hungry, Scribe. Good luck in the contest, my Friend.



  • Lily of the Valley
    October 3

    Edit | Reply
    This parody speaks volumes in so few words. The word play works well and makes the piece enjoyable to read


  • sinfull
    October 3

    Edit | Reply
    I love this .
    This is just to play on plum phrases
    hibernating in your brainbox,
    which your neurones were probably waiting for
    to break free fast.
    it just reads so sinister, yet is an innocent statement. Parodies are fascinating . . .I enjoyed the different slants by many poets on that dang red wheelbarrow. =)