Published in 1958, 95 Poems was the final book of poetry published by E.E. Cummings during his life. It’s a joyous and beautiful work that left me with a sense of joie de vivre.
The poems are about nature, the seasons, love, aging, as well as observations of people, animals, and the universe. Cummings breaks the rules of punctuation, word order, capitalization, and spacing as an artistic statement. In each poem, his word placement serves a purpose. Cummings’s way of writing is spirited, and his exuberant, unique technique of playing with words is both inspiring and entertaining.
A few of my favorite lines include:
because you aren't afraid to kiss the dirt
(and consequently dare to climb the sky)
-poem 7
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea
-poem 10
but more than all(as all your more than eyes
tell me)there is a time for timelessness
-poem 11
(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me,remember me
-poem 16
honour the past
but welcome the future
-poem 60
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)
-poem 92
Years ago, my husband and I lived down the street from his birthplace and childhood home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I wish I’d read this lovely volume back then.
External Link:
Cummings Archive - an archival collection of E.E. Cummings's drafts and notes curated by Aaron M. Moe, Ph.D.
Purchase and read books by E.E. Cummings:
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