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
This write cannot be called a poem. It is not even a piece of literature but only a random, very common thought.
Who died and made you God? I'm confounded by statements like this. Why do you need a poem definition? Some of the most common thoughts and feelings have made the most profound poetry. Shall I part my hair behind?
Agreed, Georgios. If a random member of the public had written the above words I suspect they'd have been less highly regarded. As for the Eliot except below: on it's own it's insignificant. The whole poem, however, is quite a different story.
The appeal to the senses is amazing. The reader is left to savor, colour, taste and the fleeting delight of a few plums which are cold and must have been sweet, he having eaten more than one.
if the author calls this a poem, i'd be curious to see what he'd serve me if i asked for a hamburger! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! bri
In reality, this isn't a poem but merely a couple of remarks. It never should've been seen (not to mention HAILED) as a poem. Its funny how WCW accused Eliot of taking poetry out of the hands of the 'people' through using dense language and obscure allusions. But I feel WCW did much more to ruin poetry's 'popularity' by ridding it of music and meter, by making it so plain as to be 'unmemorable.' At least Eliot kept the rhythms and the sense of meter. Williams changed the art of poetry completely - thus watering it down. -LP
Read a haiku, then looks at some paintings, understand some cognitive archeology, study a bit of buddhism, maybe throw in some hindu literature and you'll have an answser. but I we could be wrong.