William Carlos Williams

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

Pastoral

The little sparrows
hop ingenuously
about the pavement
quarreling
with sharp voices
over those things
that interest them.
But we who are wiser
shut ourselves in
on either hand
and no one knows
whether we think good
or evil.
Meanwhile,
the old man who goes about
gathering dog-lime
walks in the gutter
without looking up
and his tread
is more majestic than
that of the Episcopal minister
approaching the pulpit
of a Sunday.
These things
astonish me beyond words.

Wislawa Szymborska

The Three Oddest Words

When I pronounce the word Future,
the first syllable already belongs to the past.

When I pronounce the word Silence,
I destroy it.

When I pronounce the word Nothing,
I make something no non-being can hold.

Still Life With Toy Balloon

Instead of the return of memories
at the hour of death
I order up the return
of lost objects.

Through the windows, the doors – umbrellas,
a suitcase, gloves, a coat,
so I can say:
What use is all that to me?

Safety pins, this comb or that,
a paper rose, a string, a knife,
so I can say:
I have no regrets about anything.

Wherever you may be, key,
try to arrive on time,
so I can say:
It’s all rust, my dear friend, rust.

A cloud of certificates will descend,
of passes and questionnaires,
so I can say:
The sun is setting.

o watch, swim out of the river,
let me take you in my hand,
so I can say:
Don’t still pretend to indicate the hour.

The toy balloon torn loose by the wind
will also reappear,
so I can say:
There are no children here.