The Plums in the Icebox

Yes, another one from this month’s Poem a Day challenge. It’s been fun, and it’s easier than doing my usual random dig through old notebooks. The prompt for this one was “confession,” and my mind immediately jumped to this William Carlos Williams poem. (Someone I follow on Twitter is obsessed with it.) So this is my own less, uh, gentle take on the scenario.

The Plums in the Icebox

Originally written November 19, 2020

Alright. I ate the plums. You didn’t say
That you were keeping them for breakfast. I
Was hungry. They were juicy. Anyway,
It’s over. They’re all gone now. And—wait, why
Have you begun to cry? They were just plums.
I mean, they were delicious, sweet, and cold.
But crying over fruit—now that’s just dumb.
It’s all your fault, you know. You never told
Me that you wanted them. Why, I’d have left
You at least one, or maybe even two.
Oh, shut your trap, woman. It wasn’t theft.
We can’t just bring them back. It’s up to you
To run out to the store now—there’s a dear—
And while you’re buying plums, buy me more beer.