William Carlos Williams

"Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery - it's the sincerest

form of learning."— George Bernard Shaw

Welcome to Day 14 of FEET IN THE CREEK. 

Week 2 Poets:

April 8: Janet Wong

April 9: George Ella Lyon

April 10: Bobbi Katz
April 11: Nikki Giovanni
April 12: Margarita Engle
April 13: Mother Goose

For each day I have chosen a favorite poem, a favorite poet, or a favorite friend. I will look at the work, decide what draws me to it, what makes it resonate for me, and then write my own poem about the creek with those techniques in mind. These are first drafts, so nothing will be especially polished, but they will be starting points for revision after the month is done. Feel free to follow along or join in.

Today's poet is William Carlos Williams, a leader in the imagist movement in poetry during the first half of the twentieth century. You might enjoy reading this interview with Williams conducted by the Paris Review when the poet was 79 years old.

Between Walls
by William Carlos Williams

the back wings
of the

hospital where
nothing

will grow lie
cinders

in which shine
the broken

pieces of a green
bottle

My Intention: Write a poem that creates a single image of the creek. 


Precarious

an old
oak clings

to the
creek bank

where the
current

carves out
its roots

© Doraine Bennett, 2016. All rights reserved.

Week 1 poets:
April 1: Ralph Fletcher
April 2: Douglas Florian
April 3: Progressive poem. Catch up here.
April 4: Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
April 5: Walt Whitman
April 6: Irene Latham
April 7: Carmen Bernos de Gasztold