William Carlos Williams · USA · 1923
so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.
William Carlos Williams · USA · 1923
so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.
“so much depends…”
Everything that matters — the whole world''s meaning — can rest in a single, ordinary image: a red wheelbarrow, still wet from the rain, standing next to some white chickens.
“a red wheel…”
Williams is asking us to really look. This specific tool, in this specific light, next to these specific animals — it matters. The world is made of moments like these. We just usually walk past them.
“glazed with rain…”
Williams is asking us to really look. This specific tool, in this specific light, next to these specific animals — it matters. The world is made of moments like these. We just usually walk past them.
“beside the white…”
Williams is asking us to really look. This specific tool, in this specific light, next to these specific animals — it matters. The world is made of moments like these. We just usually walk past them.
Why this poem matters
Written in just minutes, this eight-line poem became one of the most analyzed pieces in American literature, proving the simplest image can carry enormous weight.