Thursday, June 17, 2021

Poetry Friday: Summer Song by William Carlos Williams



June is slipping away amidst some major busy-ness and plenty of heat. Somehow the last two weeks of Poetry Friday slipped away from me too. I'm happy to be back with this short one from William Carlos Williams.


Summer Song

by William Carlos Williams 


Wanderer moon

smiling a

faintly ironical smile

at this

brilliant, dew-moistened

summer morning,—

a detached

sleepily indifferent

smile, a

wanderer's smile,—

if I should

buy a shirt

your color and

put on a necktie

sky-blue

where would they carry me?


(This poem is in the public domain.) 

12 comments:

Denise Krebs said...

Oh, my, what a summer song. I have never read this one of Williams. I will have to look for more of his poems. I just know the few most common ones. I look forward to a "brilliant dew-moistened summer morning" someday! I've been in the desert so long, I almost forget.

Janice Scully said...

I like William's metaphor of the moon as wanderer. As most of his poems, it's given me something to think about and revisit, during my summer morning which is "dew-moistened." Thanks for sharing!

Karen Edmisten said...

Thanks, Denise and Janice, for strolling through this dew-filled morning with me!

Linda B said...

I'm glad you're back on this "brilliant, dew-moistened/summer morning,—" Karen. My AC is on the blink & the repair people cannot come for a week, thus, I was up before the sun to open windows & find that fresh morning air. I'll get used to it all, haven't always lived with AC, but it is different! Happy summer to you!

jama said...

Thanks for sharing this lovely (new to me) poem!

Ruth said...

Love!

Mary Lee said...

Reading Denise's comment reminds me not to take our midwestern humidity and rain for granted.

Karen Edmisten said...

Oh, Linda! I hope they surprise you and can come sooner. I've lived without AC too, and one has to get strategic about when to open the windows and then when to shut them for maximum trapping of cooler air. :) Here's hoping for a quick fix!

Jama, Ruth, and Mary Lee, thanks for stopping by, and Mary Lee, so true!

Tabatha said...

Good morning, Karen! Thanks for popping in with a smiling summer song. I am not a fan of heat but I always like dewy morning and the moon :-)

Alan j Wright said...

Karen, given that we in the southern hemisphere are now in the grip of winter, the poem you chose brought a little warmth and colour my way. Short, simple and full of delight.

Karen Edmisten said...

Tabatha, I'm not a fan of heat either. It makes me wilt! :)
Alan, so happy to send a hint of warmth and color to the southern hemisphere. Thanks for stopping by!

Elisabeth said...

I love how the poem is inviting us to become wanderers too. As someone who loves to hike, I'm particularly fond of anything that invites wandering. Thanks for sharing this!