National Poetry Month: Final Days

From Professor Lydia Fisher, on leave with her newborn, comes another e.e. cummings selection (what can we say? there’s just something about cummings, and spring, and April, and love, and babies….)

Professor Fisher says of her selection: “I never get tired of reading this poem. Its nursery rhyme rhythm and diction make it infinitely interesting in its layered meanings, and instinctively appealing to me.
And it’s about true love that outlasts death, glowing brilliantly in the hearts of two undervalued individuals, while the mindless masses go on with the productive, spiritless life of the crowd in a terrifyingly ‘pretty’ town.
It’s both cynical and shamelessly romantic. What more could you ask for?”

“anyone lived in a pretty how town” by e. e. cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn’t he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone’s any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

Just in Time for Spring

As part of our ongoing celebration of National Poetry Month, Professor (and noted poet) Hans Ostrom reminds us that

e.e. cummings’ poem, “in Just-“ still seems exceptionally well suited to the first bright days of Spring. Some parts of may seem a bit dated, such as the references to hop-scotch, jump-rope, and playing marbles (for example), but the exuberance of the language holds up well, and “mud-luscious” seems especially pertinent to the lawns at UPS.
[N.B. Professor Ostrom’s careful and time-consuming reconstruction of the poem’s unique spacing is not, unfortunately, surviving the “wordpress” formatting template. While your webmasters confer, here’s a link to a formatted version (scroll down; it’s the 4th or 5th poem on the page)].

in Just-

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it’s
spring
when the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing
from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it’s
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee
e.e. cummings