This Is Just to Say

This Is Just to Say

by William Carlos Williams

 

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

 

 

 

 

This poem defines relatable for me. Its simplicity drew me in and the subject left me there. A simple note maybe written by your significant other. Too busy for punctuation, but written with sincerity. The person is sorry for eating your plums, but they wouldn't take it back. The plums were so sweet and delicious. Then possibly its more of a thank you note. Thank you for leaving these plums in the icebox for me to find. I'm sure the receiver of this note would not mind having their plums taken. The note exhibiting a sweet gesture of recognition. I know if I received a poem apologizing for the simple crime of eating my plums, I might leave more plums in the icebox.

 

 

Interestingly enough, there are actually websites devoted to parodies of William's short work. I will post a couple here that made me smirk.

 

 

 

This Is Just to Say

by an internet user

 





I have narrowed
the margins
that were set
by your browser

and which
you were
happy
with

Forgive me
they were wide
my eyeballs
cannot swivel
side to side 

 

This Is Just to Say

by Christine

 

I have shredded

the photos

that were in

the back of your drawer

 

and which

you were probably

saving

to remember

your beautiful ex girlfriend

 

Forgive me

they were so flat

and old

 

 

I've also found a radio program that has some of the best parodies spoken aloud. This part starts in Act Two at about 50 minutes in.

 

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/354/mistakes-were-made

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 





 

Big Nose. Fat Legs. - A Response to Barbie Doll

A big nose? Fat legs?

How pathetic-to say those things to me.

I know I'm beautiful,

I don't mind what they see.

 

A big nose? Fat legs?

But I'm smart and healthy,

intelligent and kind.

I guess beauty was never meant for me.

A big nose. Fat legs.

They are ruining me.

I must rid them immediately.

Then they will see.

 

 

"Men are self-confident because they grow up identifying with super-heroes. Women have bad self-images because they grow up identifying with Barbie."

-Rita Rudner, American actress and comedian

 

 

We Grow Accustomed to the Night

Reading through this poem for the first time, I was immediately distracted by the format. The dashes and capitalization were confusing to me and would show up unexpectedly. Therefore, my initial instinct was to ponder what the author was trying to accomplish with such unique emphasis. After some deliberation, I came to the conclusion that the style of this poem in some ways mirrors the content and the message. For example, some readers like myself may not be accustomed to poetry or this particular style. We read through the poem struggling to comprehend, but when we read it again and again, we begin to adjust our eyes and the true meaning becomes clear. In the same manner, the speaker emphasizes our sight adjusting to the darkness to help us find the way.

After overcoming the issues I had with style, I then focused on the meaning of the poem and it truly resonated with me. I feel like we all experience times of darkness. But the real test is how we adapt. Will we fumble through the woods banging our heads on trees? Or will we wait it out and let our eyes adjust to the midnight darkness? I feel neither choice is wrong, but we as individuals have to decide how we will become accustomed to the night.

This image is what came to mind when picturing the darkness and night. To me, it symbolizes being alone and stumbling through the woods at night.

 

 

Paragraph about A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

A young beautiful creature with wings appearing translucent descends onto the ground with an ethereal glow. This is what comes to my mind when imagining an angel falling to earth. How then can this bald old man with hardly any teeth bearing wings infested with parasites be an angel? The neighbor woman states he is a holy being, but the priest claims he is a demon. Regardless, he’s our spectacle for awhile. If we can keep our guests entertained, who knows how much more money we’ll gather! I suppose that entertainment will come to an end now that the spider woman is in town. Now what can we do with him? An incredible nuisance, the old man with enormous wings might never fly away.

The Birth Mark

Aylmer has found love. His bride is beautiful and everything he could want and need.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

That's where the theme of this short story by Hawthorne comes in-the human obsession for physical perfection. Aylmer's beloved wife is not entirely perfect, and this idea begins to fester in his mind. The hand-shaped birthmark on Georgiana's cheek was overlooked entirely until Aylmer began entertaining the idea of its ugliness.

Even though this story was written in 1843, the theme is very much in line with important themes in our culture today. Media and other outlets suggest that beauty is physicial perfection and only perfection. Some people will go to great lengths to reach that goal while putting themselves or others at physical and emotional risk. This is what I believe is clearly symbolized in The Birth Mark that concludes with the death of Georgiana. The saddest part of the story for me was the gradual decline of Georgiana's self-confidence and image. She begins by admitting she has never considered having the mark removed and stating that "it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enought to imagine it might be so." I feel she did believe it a charm right up until the moment her husband, her love and desire, questioned it. Realizing his disdain for her appearance (which she probably took pride in before), she is willing to forfeit her life to obtain that favor her husband placed on her before.

Therefore, it can be said that this obsession for perfection is not a new idea to this age. But one should ask, why do we as humans have this obsession? Does obtaining physical perfection result in an untimely death of some part of ourselves?

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Recitatif

As I read Recitatif, I could not help but relate with the focalizer. No, I did not experience a childhood anything like Twyla did. However, I felt the relationship these two girls developed over those four months and subsequently a lifetime mirrored relationship experiences in my own life. Morrison did an excellent job of making this friendship substantial and relatable, instead of the BFF scenario we see played out incessantly.

The best example of this for me was the Howard Johnson’s meeting. I have certainly had this experience before, like many have, from both Roberta and Twyla’s point of view. You see the friend; you really don’t want to see the friend. They see you. Crap. Even Morrison’s use of “wow” by Roberta was dead on. I believed right when I read that word that Twyla would be hurt and embarrassed after their encounter. I later found that to be true, especially when Twyla recalls “Howard Johnson’s and looking for a chance to speak only to be greeted with a stingy ‘wow’.” Those were my thoughts exactly.

This story truly resonated with me simply for the realistic view of a childhood-turned-lifelong friendship between two girls. The following quote by Morrison herself is reflected perfectly in Recitatif.

"A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves, a special kind of double."