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Variations On A Theme By William Carlos Williams: Daily Dose of Poetry and Art

Variations On A Theme By William Carlos Williams: Daily Dose of Poetry and Art

Jackson Pollock Autumn
Jackson Pollock Autumn

Variations On A Theme By William Carlos Williams

by Kenneth Koch

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!

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2 comments
  • +JMJ+

    I’m not a fan of William Carlos Williams, but I found this poem very heartrending. The stanzas are variations on the theme of cruelty, reminding me of how many ways there are to hurt another person without meaning to.

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