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


I really enjoyed this poem by Williams. His language is very crisp, clean and succinct, and he uses his language to paint a clear picture. At first, the poem seems like it is just a note left on a table. But even though the language is very simple, it still reads very poetically. No word in the poem is over three syllables, and the form is simplistic. However, I feel like there is more complexity pertaining to Williams' intentions of the poem that underlie the words' simplicity.

I like how Williams gives the plums a tantalizing, almost erotic, connotation. He knew that he wasn't supposed to eat them, but he succumbed to the temptation. His apology comes off as insincere, and instead he seems to revel in the pleasure it gave him.

-Jackie