A Miracle for Breakfast

“This Is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams (1934)

William Carlos Williams is a well-known 20th-century American poet, and “This Is Just to Say” is one of his most famous poems. As with Bishop’s “A Miracle for Breakfast,” Williams’s poem concerns food. Unlike the people in Bishop’s poem, Williams’s speaker enjoys a pleasurable breakfast as he eats

the plums

that were in

the icebox

These plums aren't for the speaker, so the person whose plums the speaker ate might feel glum, like the people who only got a crumb and a drop of coffee for breakfast. Aside from the outward subject of food and breakfast, Williams’s poem and Bishop’s poem each address themes of alienation and power, as the speaker in Williams’s poem isn’t near the person whose plums they ate, but they possess the power to eat them. A part of the Imagist movement, Williams, like Bishop, demonstrates his ability to craft a keen picture in this poem.

“Letter to N.Y.” by Elizabeth Bishop (1955)

As “A Miracle for Breakfast” is partly inspired by scenes Bishop witnessed while in New York during the 1930s, it’s possible to describe it as a New York poem. Another New York poem of Bishop’s is “Letter to N.Y.” Both poems deal with desire and alienation. In “A Miracle for Breakfast,” the speaker and the people want hot coffee and buttered bread. In “Letter to N.Y.,” the speaker wants to hear from a close friend. Both poems have a rather melancholy atmosphere. The hot coffee and bread don’t materialize, and the friend doesn’t seem communicative because, if they were, the speaker wouldn't have to request, “In your next letter I wish you'd say / where you are going and what you are doing.” In an authorial context, “Letter to N.Y.” is more personal than "A Miracle for Breakfast" since the speaker is Bishop and the friend is their romantic interest, Louise Crane, which is why Bishop dedicates the poem to her.

“Playing with Dolls” by David Trinidad (2004)

David Trinidad is a contemporary poet who writes a lot about pop culture. He uses traditional forms like sonnets to express his admiration for movies, TV shows, and other Western commodities. Trinidad is a confessional poet, so his speakers are often him, and in “Playing with Dolls,” Trinidad uses the sestina form to showcase his love of Barbies. Aside from the form, Trinidad’s poem shares similar themes with Bishop’s poem. The crumb activates Bishop’s speaker’s imagination, and the Barbies activate Trinidad’s imagination. “I could entertain myself for hours,” he states. Trinidad’s poem also features hierarchy and alienation as his love of Barbies alienates him from his dad, who tries to get him to stop playing with the dolls.