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.

"i carry your heart with me(i carry it in" by E. E. Cummings (1952)

Similar to the other poems listed here, this love poem bubbles with sentimentality and romance. In it, the speaker focuses on the singularity of two hearts in love, saying that wherever the speaker goes, so does the heart of their beloved. Again using natural imagery and even the stars, Cummings creates a deeply romantic, dreamy, and sensual image of love, all in his unique style.

"love is more thicker than forget" by E. E. Cummings (1926)

Utilizing contradictions and incredibly complex inversions of words, phrases, and syntax, Cummings again expresses a romantic notion of love that transcends all things, including nature and its order. This is a great example of Cummings’s almost childlike, innocent wordplay, as he invents words like “unbe” (Line 6) and plays with traditional grammar in phrases like “more thicker” (Line 1).

“E. E. Cummings: Language, Word Play, and Meaning” by Benjamin Thomas (2017)

In this analysis, Thomas looks at three Cummings poems to analyze his structure and various quirks. He connects some of Cummings’s views on love and the soul to Cummings’s manipulation of grammar, syntax, and punctuation. He provides an excellent intro to Cummings’s philosophy about love, connection, and the importance of union between people and the natural world.

“E. E. Cummings and Pataphysical Love" by Nathan Tebokkel (2023)

In this thorough analysis of Cummings’s worldview and poetry, Tebokkel connects Cummings’s views on love to his artistic and philosophical influences, including Modernism, Romanticism, Metaphysics, and a handful of philosophies and philosophers. Tebokkel argues that Cummings’s approach to love focuses on the way two people come together to become one, thus leading to a new way of seeing and experiencing the universe.