Monday, February 02, 2004

Poetry

Came across this today -- it's my favorite poem. Or, rather, was my favorite poem, until I forgot about it. But now, in seeing it again, can confirm that it is in fact my favorite poem.

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

----------------------

Now I'm not a big poetry person, in fact I would consider myself rather ignorant regarding the subject, but some poems - like this one - I just like. I remember liking it when I first read it back in -- grade school I believe, perhaps high school. The last line is the best of course... so sweet and so cold. Nice. Perhaps it is the simplicity of the poem that attracts me to it - easy to understand and the like; I'm not big on poetry you have to study in order to understand. Not that complicated poetry is bad; I'm just lazy is all. There seem to be two kinds of poetry: one kind, like the one above, are immediate, and sensual, and vital, the other kind are complex and contain hidden meanings and secrets that can be studied and argued by those who have made it their devotion to research such things. It's like anything really, if you look at any area of interest there are two levels -- an immediate level that is accessible by all, and a deeper level reserved for those that are fanatical. Like religion for example -- there are more entry-level religions, like the uber-churches, and deeper ones that require years of meditation, or hours and hours of service and study. Or something as simple as music -- at the immediate level you have people just listening to the cool cold funky beats, but at a deeper level have people analyzing the relevance of the music and lyrics at that time in music history.

Of course Williams might disagree...

But which is better? Most would say that which takes the most intelligence to unravel is the true "art". But maybe there really is no inherent superiority in the complex and convoluted, indeed, perhaps the opposite is true -- that to state intangible the in a simple, eloquent, and accessible manner is truly the height of the creative skills. To touch directly the synapses, without the murk.