This Is Just to Say

For certain reasons, I recently decided that I do not need to eat at Chick-Fil-A anymore. My visits have been infrequent anyway, so I figured it would be easy to avoid them. I was doing great, sticking to my principles. But yesterday, I had to tutor and then shortly afterward do some physically demanding work for the Kids Clothing Connection sale. I needed to stock up on calories in between jobs. Although I managed to avoid buying one of their sandwiches by bringing one from home, I just had this intense craving for their fries and caved. As I sat in the car eating my contraband, William Carlos Williams’ poem “This Is Just to Say” came to mind.


Chick-Fil-A

I have eaten
the fries
that were
forbidden

It was a sin
of convenience

Forgive me
they were so
scrumptious
hot and salty
crisp on the outside
yet
soft, yielding
inside





This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams

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