The Red Wheelbarrow (William Carlos Williams)

Can you tell that I like short poems? That I am often so tired that talking through the density of a many-stanza-ed verse is daunting. Given time I may feel more rested and willing to take on a lengthy poem, but today is not that day. Today is for a poem that I remember talking about in high school. Today's poem is by William Carlos Williams.

What I remember saying in that English class is that this poem is pretty nifty since each line is not a complete thought. You need the whole stanza (or even a couple stanzas) for any of the words to make any sense or to paint any kind of picture. Sure, whatever, it all depends on the red wheelbarrow, but the poem always depends on the following line. Everything is dependent on that that is coming up next, the unforeseen. It all matters.

Favorite line: "so much depends/upon/a red wheel/barrow"