Read "Good Night" by William Carlos Williams online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
In brilliant gas light / I turn the kitchen spigot / and watch the water plash / into the clean white sink.
On the grooved drain-board / to one side is / a glass filled with parsley -- / crisped green.
Waiting for the water to freshen -- / I glance at the spotless floor -- : / a pair of rubber sandals / lie side by side / under the wall-table, / all is in order for the night.
Waiting, with a glass in my hand / -three girls in crimson satin / pass close before me on / the murmurous background of / the crowded opera -- / it is / memory playing the clown -- / three vague, meaningless girls / full of smells and / the rustling sound of / cloth rubbing on cloth and / little slippers on carpet -- / high-school French / spoken in a loud voice!
Parsley in a glass, / still and shining, / brings me back. I take my drink / and yawn deliciously.
I am ready for bed.