“Why do I write today? The beauty of
the terrible faces
of our nonentities
stirs me to it”

— William Carlos Williams, book Al Que Quiere!

"Apology"
Al Que Quiere! (1917)
Context: Why do I write today? The beauty of
the terrible faces
of our nonentities
stirs me to it: colored women
day workers—
old and experienced—
returning home at dusk,
in cast off clothing
faces like
old Florentine oak.

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William Carlos Williams83

American poet 1883–1963

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