"Between Walls" is a poem by American writer William Carlos Williams about shards of a glass bottle hidden in the back area of a hospital. First published in 1938, the work, like much of Williams's poetry, focuses on the depiction of scene and the direct communication of images. Williams was a major figure in the movements of Imagism and Modernism. He was constantly seeking to find forms that offered the most direct imagery. He believed strongly in the value of accessibility and concision. As such, this poem is extremely direct and succinct. It offers a view of a glimmer of beauty amid industrial drabness.
The speaker of the poem begins by describing the back wings of a hospital as a place where nothing is capable of growth. But then he goes on to show the green shards of a glass bottle as they glimmer in this otherwise unremarkable spot. In this way, the poem seeks to capture the perseverance of aesthetically pleasing images in the dullness of everyday work at a hospital. This scene likely had a particular resonance for Williams, as he himself was a doctor. The poem is ten lines long, divided into five stanzas. Each line contains no more than five syllables. The poem contains no punctuation and makes use of enjambment throughout. All of these stylistic elements work towards supporting the poem's undiluted clarity.
