On this day in 1963 the poet William Carlos Williams died. Williams lived in New Jersey and was also a doctor, practicing medicine by day and writing poems at night. He began publishing modernist poetry in his 20’s but considered himself upstaged by the poet TS Eliot, who was also a friend and whose poetry was appearing at this time.

Williams’s own poetry focused on basic American words and idioms and aimed at producing a new ‘transatlantic’ form of poetry which dealt with every day occurrences in the lives of ordinary people. Here is an example of this in his poem Peasant Wedding, inspired by the famous painting of Bruegel the Elder:

Pour the wine bridegroom
where before you the
bride is enthroned her hair

loose at her temples a head
of ripe wheat is on
the wall beside her the

guests seated at long tables
the bagpipers are ready
there is a hound under

the table the bearded Mayor
is present women in their
starched headgear are

gabbing all but the bride
hands folded in her
lap is awkwardly silent simple

dishes are being served
clabber and what not
from a trestle made of an

unhinged barn door by two
helpers one in a red
coat a spoon in his hatband

To listen to this poem click here:

Today I will try not to allow my feelings to dictate my actions.