Tuesday, October 2, 2012

William Carlos Williams' Amulet

--for the children of Gaza, amongst so many others
 
Of the innocent 

image of the grand 
child who entered 
the new world naked, 

now sleeping in 
its grandmother’s frail 
arms, the good doctor 

would have made medicine 
strong enough to ward off evil 
unseeable and still have us 

keep an eye on it. 



3 comments:

  1. "the grand / child" — a fine image. Grand as in "large," as in "magnificent," as in "excellent". A words Williams inspires. Is he not altogether more significant a writer than Eliot? If so, it's that childlikeness—the persistent wonder that Eliot never seemed to have. What was he (Eliot) like as kid, I wonder....

    ReplyDelete
  2. The poem's a beauty.

    Joe, wondering about your wondering, I'd guess Eliot probably possessed the wonder of any child.

    It's what happens later, though, that makes us wonder.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, guys, for chipping in with these positive comments; as for who was the "more significant" writer, I would go with Williams for the reasons that Joe mentions; as for the “persistent wonder” that Eliot did not possess in his writings, I really can’t guess why. All I know is that both poets are amongst the ones whose work I continue to read but with the good doctor continuing to make the most calls to my house.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...