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In Just Spring

3/30/2017

29 Comments

 
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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!

29 Comments
Jan/Bookseedstudio link
3/31/2017 02:46:06 am

Dear B.J.

This one is new to me. So squee!

I'm soaking up the silliness & also the balloonman mystery. I feel a
school days wonder, thanks to you.

"April is the cruelest month ..." is what I remember about
e.e. cummings. Must learn so much more.

A month of poetry month balloons to you!

Reply
B.J. Lee
3/31/2017 09:37:07 am

I'm glad you liked it, Jan! Squee is the perfect word to describe this poem! LOL! BTW, the April quote is T.S. Elliot! Those first initialled people do get confusing, I know!

Reply
Brenda Harsham link
3/31/2017 05:37:07 am

Love, love this poem. I wrote about puddle stomping once for poetry friday here: https://wordpress.com/post/friendlyfairytales.com/8058 and quoted part of this poem. You're right that the poem is perfect in its entirety. A wonderful celebration of chickabiddy kidness.

Reply
B.J. Lee
3/31/2017 09:38:48 am

It's hard NOT to like, rght Brenda? Thanks for stopping by. I'll check out your link.

Reply
Michelle Heidenrich Barnes link
3/31/2017 06:20:47 am

Spring just wouldn't be spring without reading this poem 2 or 3 times, at least. And how I love the connection you made about your initials!

Reply
B.J. Lee
3/31/2017 09:40:18 am

Hi Michelle! Yes, multiple readings are required. LOL on my initials "mad" comment! :)

Reply
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater link
3/31/2017 07:43:19 am

What a great poem to welcome little B.J. Lee to the world of poetry! I, too, love this connection to your initials. Amazing what we learn about ourselves when we make time to reflect. Thank you for bringing e.e. to the party today....I adore this playfulness with words. That smushing! Happy Poetry Month ahead! xx

Reply
B.J. Lee
3/31/2017 09:43:10 am

Hi Amy! I was joking about the initials! LOL. I would never compare myself to e.e.cummings or A.A. Milne, although something to strive for, eh? thanks for stopping by and thanks for hosting on this auspicious day!

Reply
Linda Baie link
3/31/2017 07:54:42 am

While we have cold coming with rain and snow mix, it is time for "marbles and whistles" and the warm will come. You never know what sparks a child when sharing a poem. I love hearing your memory of this poem, B.j.

Reply
B.J. Lee
3/31/2017 09:45:17 am

Hopefully soon you will be having some mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful weather, Linda! Yes! Marbles and whistles! They fit in well with this poem!

Reply
Kiesha Shepard link
3/31/2017 08:44:04 am

The line breaks and white space are so interesting in this one! Thanks for sharing B.J.!

Reply
B.J. Lee
3/31/2017 09:46:31 am

Yes, e.e. cummings was a master of line breaks and white space. Thanks for stopping by, Keisha!

Reply
Linda Trout Kulp link
3/31/2017 09:54:54 am

I have always loved this poem too. It's raining and 39 degrees here today so lots of mudlusciousness here today!

Reply
B.J. Lee
3/31/2017 10:31:04 am

It's a good one to be sure, Linda! We don't get much mud-lusciousness here in FL in the spring, but we do get plenty in the summer rainy season, and the kids all cool off in the mud puddles on our street.

Reply
Bridget Magee link
3/31/2017 11:53:07 am

This is a new e.e.cummings poem to me, so thank you for sharing it. =)

Reply
B.J. Lee
4/1/2017 10:16:32 am

Hi Bridget! Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you liked the poem!

Reply
Kay Jernigan McGriff link
3/31/2017 01:30:26 pm

Yes, I love mud-lucious and puddle-wonderful--two words that help me keep a lighter perspective on the season of mud sometimes known as spring!

Reply
B.J. Lee
4/1/2017 10:18:58 am

Hi Kay! You must be in northern New England, I'm guessing. My aunt lives in Vermont & always talks about mud season. I lived in MA but mud was not really a problem there, although I was in the city (Cambridge). Maybe the countryside does get muddy.

Reply
Violet N. link
3/31/2017 08:43:38 pm

Oh yes, e. e. cummings sets something free in all of us, doesn't he? I love it that you sensed that as a child. Thanks for the spring gambol!

Reply
B.J. Lee
4/1/2017 10:20:27 am

Hi Violet! That's a good way of looking at it - e.e. cummings setting something free i all of us. I love that!

Reply
Michelle Kogan link
3/31/2017 09:09:33 pm

"[any one lived in a pretty how town]" that was wonderful, thanks for sharing the link with us; I'm ready to reach for the sky or maybe the moon. Happy Poetry Month B. J.!

Reply
B.J. Lee
4/1/2017 10:22:02 am

Hi Michelle! I'm glad you liked tbe linked poem - it is brilliant! One of my faves!

Reply
Ruth link
4/1/2017 01:54:25 pm

I've always loved this poem, too. And it's so springy!

Reply
B.J. Lee
4/1/2017 11:17:49 pm

Hi Ruth! Yay - another in just spring lover!

Reply
Mary Lee
4/2/2017 07:07:27 am

Hooray for ee and BJ and SPRING!

Reply
B.J. Lee
4/2/2017 09:18:18 am

Thanks, Mary Lee! Yes, 3 cheers for ee and Spring!

Reply
Alice Nine link
4/2/2017 03:50:48 pm

I love the possible influence of e.e., A.A. and E.B. that gave us B.J. :) As I read "In Just Spring" and came to the balloonman I immediately thought of "The Red Book" by Barbara Lehman (a wordless book) with a balloonman and his part in that story told in pictures.

Reply
B.J. Lee
4/3/2017 09:56:34 am

Thank you, Alice! I don't know that pb. I'll have to check it out. I wonder if Lehman was inspired by ee?

Reply
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    B. J. Lee is a children’s author and poet. Her picture book, There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth, is launching with Pelican Publishing on February 15, 2019. She has poems in 25 poetry anthologies published by  Little, Brown, Wordsong, BloomsburyUK, National Geographic, Otter-Barry Books, Pomelo Books, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has worked with anthologists Lee Bennett Hopkins, J. Patrick Lewis and Kenn Nesbitt. She has written poems for such children’s magazines as Spider, Highlights and The School Magazine. Follow her on Twitter @bjlee_writer.

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