In Just Spring

public domain art

In Just Spring
by e.e. cummings

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

I have loved this poem for as long as I can remember. I think the first time I heard it was in the first grade - although the exact grade is somewhat hazy in my memory - when our teacher read it while we were following along in a book. I was instantly entranced and thrilled by this poem. Who was the balloonMan and why was he lame? Why did he have goats' feet? Did having goats' feet make him lame? I loved the way the words ran together - BettyandIsabel - just perfect. I loved the phrases Mud-luscious and Puddle-wonderful. I loved the way the poet's name was in the lower case. I loved the way the poem was set up on the page. In short, I loved the whole thing! And for me, hearing and reading this poem in my early grammar school days was my first memory of poetry being awakeed inside me. e.e. cummings, along with A.A. Milne, may be two of the reasons I became a children's poet, and perhaps - although I'm just making this connection now, why I chose to publish using my initials, B.J. Lee. Hmmm...

Here's another stellar poem by e.e. cummings: "anyone lived in a pretty how town."

And here's a bio of e.e. cummings at The Poetry Foundation.

Happy Spring, everyone and Happy National Poetry Month!

Thank you to Amy VanderWater for hosting Poetry Friday!