by William Carlos Williams
I have eaten the plums that were in the ice box
and which you were probably saving for breakfast.
Forgive me. They were delicious. So sweet and so cold.
This poetry has been used widely in poetry classes everywhere and, particularly, elementary schools. This poetry has been imitated and spoofed. It has even become a game among poets, to write a version of "This is just to say." So I tried to come up two.
This is just to say
By Yujin Li
One
I have messed up your life that was in this unsettling world
and which you were probably expecting for great.
Forgive me. It was messy. So dirty and so hopeless.
Two
I have read the diary that was in the drawer
and which you were probably keeping for yourself.
Forgive me. It was a page-turner. So intriguing and so tempting.
Here are some other examples.
This is just to say
by Kenneth Koch
One
I chopped down the house that you had been saving to live in next summer.
I am sorry, but it was morning, and I had nothing to do.
And its wooden beams were so inviting.
Two
Last evening we went dancing, and I broke your leg.
Forgive me. I was clumsy, and I wanted you here in the wards, where I am the doctor.
This is just to say
By Andrew
Sorry I took your money and burned it.
But it looked like the world falling apart when it crackled and burned.
So I think it was worth it. After all, you can't see the world fall apart every day.
This Is Just to Say
by Sarah Vowell
I carved your name, not mine, into the arm of dad's chair.
Sorry you were punished.
But the wood was so gummy, and my knife was so sharp.
This Is Just to Say
by Jonathan Goldstein
I have eaten the fruit of knowledge, but nothing happened.
Not a word. No lightning or volcanoes, not even a drop of rain.
So I was just wondering, are you there?
This Is Just to Say
by Shalom Auslander
One
I'm sorry you are overweight
and drinking and feeling like everything in your life is doomed to failure.
But this is probably why mom said I was her favorite.
Two
it sucks, little doe, that I hit you with my car,
but at least you weren't alive to watch the hunters shoot your children.
Three
he was a trouble maker, OK?
And didn't know when to shut up.
Still, we never would have killed him if we'd known he was the Lord.
This Is Just to Say
by Heather O'Neill.
Dear Mom, This is just to say I forgive you for eating all the plums, the apples, the pears, and even drinking the last of the orange juice.
I forgive you for emptying Dad's bank account and for painting stars on our station wagon right before you got in and drove away.
I forgive you for leaving us without even saying good-bye.
Your plans were always so sweet, so delicious, and so cold.
