Ryan Byrd’s Ramblings

Are you familiar with the classic poem, “This Is Just To Say,” by William Carlos Williams? It goes a something like this:

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

I first read it in 11th grade English class and I thought back then that it was a pretty silly poem. However, it’s also a fun poem to try to copy stylistically and that’s exactly the context of the book “This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness“, by Joyce Sidman — a sixth grade class wrote poems of apology WC Williams-esque. I think the book is clever and it’s the perfect book to read aloud in small gatherings of friends. Well, gatherings of friends which include  people who appreciate poetry, anyway. I hope Joyce will forgive me for including one of the poems here: To Mrs. Garcia, in the Office:

This Is Just to Say
I have stolen
the jelly doughnuts
that were in the teachers’ lounge

and which you were probably
saving
for teachers

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so gloppy

too bad the powdered sugar
spilled all over my shirt
and gave me away

by Thomas