Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894–September 3, 1962), also known as E. E. Cummings or e e cummings, was an American poet and author. He wrote many books, plays, and nearly 3,000 poems over the course of his life. Cummings is particularly well-known for his poetry, in which he liked to experiment. He often wrote without punctuation and capitalization, and he was known to adjust line spacing and indentation, all of which he used as tools to capture the mood of each poem.
E. E. Cummings
is 5
1926
since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don’t cry
— the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids’ flutter which says
we are for each other; then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life’s not a paragraph
And death i think is no parenthesis
Is this poem happy or sad?
Does the author think being a fool is a good idea?
What is the effect of the last line?
Compare this with It May Not Always Be So. Which do you think is more interesting? Why?