Riposte

by William Carlos Williams

Riposte was published in Williams' collection, Al Que Quiere! A Book of Poems (1917).

An illustration for the story Riposte by the author William Carlos Williams — Heart-shaped lock, tobacco label, 1887

Love is like water or the air
my townspeople;
it cleanses, and dissipates evil gases.
It is like poetry too
and for the same reasons.
Love is so precious
my townspeople
that if I were you I would
have it under lock and key—
like the air or the Atlantic or
like poetry!

Featured in our collection of 100 Great Poems

9