t, an unencumbered directness. Often, the rhythm in Williams' poetry depends on its visual appearance. In "The Red Wheelbarrow," the eye perceives four small, distinct stanzas, with four words each. Each stanza has three words on the first line and one on the second; there is a minimalistic uniformity. There is no doubt that the form of this poem heightens the sense of its tone, but the actual effect defies definition. The subtlety of the visual and auditory rhythm in the poem parallels the subtlety of its imagery. If the image is directly conveyed from Williams' mind to reader's mind, then so is the rhythm. An exploration of Williams' use of rhythm naturally encourages a discussion of his use of prose. In Spring and All, he writes that "The nature of the difference between what is termed prose on the one hand and verse on the other is not to be discovered by a study of the metrical characteristics of the words as they occur in juxtaposition" (229). In other words, meter is not the essential factor in distinguishing between verse and prose. Williams concludes that poetry and prose are aspects of the same art, and each becomes more distinct as the meter becomes more or less substantial. William uses prose as a practical mean of accomplishing what poetry can not in Spring and All. It is a way of clarify and convey information about an idea or emotion already expressed through poetry. There is no doubt that the rhythm of Whitman's verse is more pronounced than that of Williams. It suggests the more traditional, but it is clear that Whitman is willing to break with form when desired, slipping toward prose: "Houses and rooms are full of perfumes,/ the shelves are crowded with perfumes,/ I breath the fragrance myself and know it and like it,/ The distillation would intoxicate me also, but I shall not let it" (24) On the subject of rhythm, Williams said that "...
