William Carlos Williams comes to mind these days, following me around and showing up in unexpected moments.
Williams is best known for The Red Wheelbarrow, but the poem that I dedicated to memory over two decades ago is The Ivy Crown.
Today, I offer a moment with William Carlos Williams. Though my heart uncertainly beats against winter’s days, it anticipates the spring and the promises which ride on the sun.
unless,
crowned by excess,
it break forcefully,
one way or another,
from its confinement–
or find a deeper well.
Antony and Cleopatra
were right;
they have shown
the way. I love you
or I do not live
at all.
is past. This is
summer, summer!
the heart says,
and not even the full of it.
No doubts
are permitted–
Though they will come
and may
before our time
overwhelm us.
but being mortal
can defy our fate.
We may
by an outside chance
even win!
look to see
jonquils and violets
come again
but there are,
still,
the roses!
Just as the nature of briars
is to tear flesh,
I have proceeded
through them.
Keep the briars out,
they say.
You cannot live
and keep free of
briars.
Children pick flowers
Let them.
Though having them
in hand
they have no further use of them
but leave them crumpled
at the curb’s edge.
At our age the imagination
across the sorry facts
lifts us
to make roses
stand before thorns.
Sure
love is cruel
and selfish
and totally obtuse–
At least, blinded by the light,
young love is.
But we are older,
I to love
and you to be loved,
we have,
no matter how,
by our wills survived
to keep
the jeweled prize
always
at our fingertips.
We will it so
and so it is
past all accident.
(Williams’ musical word placement is lost in the WordPress pagination. Visit The Ivy Crown to read the poem as Williams wrote it.)
A delightful YouTube video with Williams talking about writing. Lovely animation, worth five and a half minutes of your life.
