I’ve been studying the classic poem by William Carlos Williams: “The Red Wheelbarrow.” As a part of this study, I have imitated his work. I know, I know. This isn’t the way it is usually done, but I’m following the advice of Mary Oliver – to do as all of the great artists have done and imitate to learn.
So, here goes:
The Old Wheelbarrow
(Tribute to William Carlos Williams)
not much depends
upon
an old wheel
barrow
pocked with rock
craters
under the black
raven
This was surprisingly difficult to write. I mean, it’s just copying. But there is so much nuance in what Williams wrote. Obviously, I didn’t even have to go through a tenth of what he went through in creating this poem. But my first attempts were way off. It took time to get things down, I especially wanted to stay true to the syllabic pattern of this poem. And hopefully the tone.
Interestingly enough, where I live, in the front yard are two old wheelbarrows. Both of them sit upside down in the leaves. I don’t know when they were last used. I never even noticed the wheelbarrows, after months of living here, until I started studying this poem.
c.g.larson 