John Green Reads Poetry

J: Would you like a poem?

H: Give me a poem, John. 

J: Alright so this is, you’ve been complaining a lot about the poem’s lately, especially that they sound-

H: It’s not complaint!

J: -poemy.

H: It’s just, I’m just commentary. 

J: So I’m going to try, what I’m going to try to do today is I’m going to read a very famous, very short William Carlos Williams poem. I’m going to try to read it in a way that isn’t so poemy. And then next week I’m going to read an even less poemy poem. But Hank please, please take careful note of this poem. I want you to listen to it closely, not just for this week but also for next week. Okay?

H: Okay.

(Reads poem)

(Hank laughs) 

J: That’s the poem This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams. I didn’t do that too poemy did I?

H: I like it. I’m down. It still sounds like a poem. I don’t know, there’s something about it. Like when you’re just reading a book it sounds like you’re reading a book and when you’re reading a poem it sounds like you’re reading a poem. I’m not sure what the thing is. 

J: I mean I can read that one much more poemy. “I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast.” Anyway I love that poem, despite the fact that I don’t really know for sure what an icebox is. Is that a refrigerator? I suppose that’s where I would put my plums. But I think we’ve all been in that situation, both literally and metaphorically in our lives with those we love where we must seek their forgiveness because, despite the fact that they were saving something and we should’ve, we should’ve honored that, we are overcome by our own need, by our own personal hunger, and that’s human, but it’s also very sad. […]

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