Friday, April 24, 2015

XXIV

Dear reader

The challenge today is to write a parody, or a satire of a favorite (or not so favorite) poem. I have chosen the poem The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams (1883 - 1963). If you’re wondering about the title, the poet originally published the piece without a title and was designated as "XXII" as the twenty-second work in his 1923 book ‘Spring and All’. I first heard this poem when my youngest brother took a poetry course in University and came home having learned this piece. It struck me today that I should write about it. I don't know if I wrote a parody or not, but I wrote my answer to it. First is the original, and following that is my reply. Please enjoy...or at the very least, smile at the absurdity of it all.

Rod E. Kok
April 24, 2015

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.

I struggle immensely
with the idea
of placing my trust
in garden implements,
although the rain
helps things grow.
Chickens, however...
now there's a food
I can feast on.


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