Saturday, March 24, 2007

William Carlos Williams poem re-emerges

from USA Today:
"Williams wrote "About a Little Girl" in 1921 after diagnosing Michael and Carl Lund's mother with leukemia when she was 11. Along with his literary career, Williams had a medical practice in Rutherford, N.J.

Lund said Williams was a friend of his mother's family, and thought after reviewing medical tests that she was likely to die. The poem contrasts a happy, outgoing "angel" of a child with the death he believed would overtake her.

As it turned out, Williams' diagnosis was wrong and the child, Marian Macy, lived until 2002 — two weeks short of 92. The poem, which Williams signed with his initials, WCW, was passed from Marian's mother to Marian, then to her two sons."

"The poem, which has a misspelling in the word "balloon," will be published for the first time by the Southeast Missouri State University. Its contents are not being released until then."

full story here.

2 comments:

Kelli Russell Agodon - Book of Kells said...

Oh Peter, thanks for posting this! I hadn't heard about it!

WCW's been on my mind lately. Just this morning I placed a hold on his autobiography at the library. This is wonderful and I love the idea of this poem framed on the wall for all those years.

best,
Kel

Collin Kelley said...

It's funny how all these "lost" poems are suddenly re-emerging. I keep hoping for a treasure trove of Sexton and Stan Rice to appear.