Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Poetry that won't bore you to death (at least not immediately)

I really like the work of E.E. Cummings , or ee cummings as it is sometimes written.  It doesn't give me that tongue-tied, brain lock feeling like some poems do when I read them.  There are so many important works that I can never get through because my mind freezes up like a rusty lock after the first line and I'm never able to fully appreciate the beauty of it.  The poem below has always been one of my favorites; my eyes race through the lines like it can't get to the end fast enough and the words just roll away...

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
with 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

Any other poems you love that you'd like to tell me about?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poetry can be beautiful, complex and emotional. It is a present to experience through poetry the same feelings in someone else that somehow we think we are alone in those feelings. Thanks for bringing this poem to my attention.

Defenestrated said...

Though I am not familiar with most of Carl Sandburg's work, I know he has several pieces about the moon. To me, moon poetry always sounds like "making love to the moon" as if the moon were the subject of someone's grade school love scribbling.

Under The Harvest Moon (Carl Sandburg)

Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

lbsthecheese said...

@Defenestrated Thanks for the poem! It's quite lovely :)

lbsthecheese said...

@Anonymous You're welcome! I couldn't have said it better myself.