A poem, in e-mail

Earlier this week I and my colleagues at McMurry got an e-mail from product manager Jenny Babich, apprising that she'd be taking some paid time off this week and next. The operative sentence is up there with William Carlos Williams poem, "This Is Just To Say."

First, 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.

Here's Babich:

I just wanted to let you all know that my puppy is arriving on Friday at 9:15 a.m., so I will be out of work Friday, and then out on PTO Monday through Wednesday of next week.

Comments

[Kristen]

What does "PTO" stand for?

Cute puppy.

[David Murray]

Paid time off.

[Kristen]

Ahh, thank you.

You kno, in taking another look at this puppy's face and the expression on it, I think Jenny is going to have her hands full here.

Should be entertaining. Do keep us posted, will you? I love hearing about the antics of other people's furry family members. It takes the edge of the stuff MY cat pulls on a regular basis that everyone but me thinks is hilarious.

[Glynn]

This is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel -- I've had one for 12 years. If you.re a member of myragan.com -- http://www.myragan.com/_photo/viewimage.php?imageid=634259&folderid=20070508082724&id=Ragan/glynn. Absolutely one of the best dogs for kids, although if you're not into shedding hair you might be in for a surprise.

[Joan H.]

The Williams poem is one of my very favorites--in fact, that and Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Night are the two poems that convinced me that my outright rejection of poetry as an appealing form of literature was just wrong.

I like how you noticed the same simple rhythm in your "found" poem at work. I would not have seen that. Another reminder to look for beauty in the ordinary. A reminder I need right now, struggling with the low-grade depression that comes with the shortening days and cold weather.

Thank you, David.

[k bosch]

Um...am I missing the point of your blog, Dave? When I first read this my reaction was: WTF?! What schmo would put a picture of their new puppy in their out of office email? Not only unprofessional, but more importantly, who cares?!

Am I missing something, or am I just an insensitive a-hole?

[David Murray]

Oh, the picture didn't come with the e-mail; I snagged that separately, after telling her how her e-mail cheered me up.

So, you ARE missing something, and that's my fault. But you ARE ALSO an insensitive a-hole, and there's nothing I can do about that.