Spring

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman

whistles far and wee
...

--E. E. Cummings

Cummings is the perfect poet for this time of year. He has many poems that celebrate spring without falling into cheesiness. I love that "mud-luscious"--it perfectly conjures spring days I remember from growing up. And the little lame balloonman is also an image that just feels right for a spring day--he's later goat-footed, conjuring up images of a devil...but it's as if on a spring day like this even that doesn't matter. The world is new.

The full poem, as well as another great spring poem, [O sweet spontaneous], is at this site. Another of my favorites for this time of year is this one (taken from here):

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of allnothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

"Leaping greenly spirits of trees"--that's exactly what I love about spring.

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