"No ideas but in things" is the very American slogan of William Carlos Williams, a poet and medical doctor from New Jersey. Hearing him read his poems on the many audio files littering the Internet—this one, for example —helps us to realize just how American Williams really is. Check out his Tony Soprano-style Jersey accent.

In contrast to a poet like Eliot or Pound, who affect high-flown European tones when reading their work even though they are as American as Williams is, Williams sounds like a guy you might run into on the streets of Newark. The diction of his poems and other writing is simple and casual. You won't generally need a dictionary and encyclopedia to understand this poet's works—unlike Eliot and Pound.

While Pound talked a good game in his Imagist manifesto, Williams's work truly does embrace the rules about plain diction and concreteness in a way that Pound's work often doesn't. These poems generally stick to simple things, staying true to the whole "No ideas but in things" credo.

"The Red Wheelbarrow"

This little dude packs a wallop. In this important Modernist poem, Williams writes about a red wheelbarrow rather than writing about abstractions. Bonus: it's short and sweet.

"This is Just to Say"

This is another short piece that takes the most banal of communications—a note left on the refrigerator—and turns it into a poem. Poetry is everywhere, says Williams.

"To a Poor Old Woman"

In this poem, Williams continues to play with free verse in ways that still resonate for poets today.