The cruelest month: Puddle-wonderful

I can’t let a National Poetry Month go past without an entry from e.e. cummings. Last year my Poem in Your Pocket Day poem was “plato told”, which is probably my all-time cummings favorite. But this time I’ll give you “in Just”.

There’s something about the balloonman whistling far & wee that makes me smile. I once bought a watercolor from an artist because it was of a balloon man & it reminded me of the poem. I sent the painter the poem, too.

The thing about cummings is that you have to look at his poems, you can't just listen to them. The structure is as important as the words. (Take that, French professor!)

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