anyone lived in a pretty how town

"in Just" by E. E. Cummings (1920)

In one of his most famous poems, Cummings writes about the “mud-luscious” (Lines 2-3) world of spring where children play games and run through puddles; meanwhile, an ominous “balloonman” (Lines 4, 12, and 21) whistles “far and wee” (Lines 5, 13, and 22-24). The poem, like many of Cummings’s poems, is ambiguous and contains different possible interpretations. Many critics see the balloonman as the Greek god Pan, suggesting the poem is a metaphorical, surreal story about the change from childhood to adulthood. In this poem, similar to “anyone lived in a pretty how town,” Cummings compares seasons to human life, as here spring and childhood go hand in hand.

"somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond" by E. E. Cummings (1931)

In one of his most romantic poems, Cummings uses more seasonal imagery as well as the image of a flower to describe the love the speaker has for the subject. One of the poem’s motifs is the act of opening and closing, comparing people’s hearts and minds to open flower petals and enclosed hands. This poem is another example of Cummings’s unique style and inversions of conventions.

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