Tuesday, March 9, 2010

One of My Favorites


A comment that I received the other day from Mila reminded me of something: I love words, in particular, I love poetry. I love poetry so much that even the fiction that I love is often written by authors who are also poets. One of my favorite poets is e. e. cummings. When I was a senior in high school, my A.P. English teacher gave us one of his poems to discuss. I went out and bought a volume of his work. There's something of the intangible, the indescribable in them...his choice of words, punctuation and arrangement get at the tingle that I feel shoot up my spine whenever I catch my husband looking at me with love in his eyes or I take his hand in mine. It was everything I hoped to feel long before I met him and very accurately captures my feelings for him now. Even if you don't like poetry, please give it a chance...you might realize that you do like some poetry:)

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

- e. e. cummings

20 comments:

  1. Lovely... very romantic! My fave line is "life's not a paragraph and death i think is no parenthesis".

    Have a great day Kelley Anne! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it. And I love poetry,(So, so, so much, I can't even begin to describe it) last semester in English class everyone but me groaned when my teacher announced a poetry unit. I had a big, dopey smile on my face. Yeah, I didn't have many friends in that particular class.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Poetry can be so heartfelt and moving, tugging at the heartstrings....like this piece.

    xxx DJ
    ps I knew you'd spot your blouse :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. i looove poetry too! some of my favorite blogs are those that are strictly poetry with pretty pictures to accompany them. just lovely!

    thanks for your comment about my thrifting skills too. you know i think your pretty great at it too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really love Philip Larkin, he is my favourite poet - have you read any of his poetry? I know what you mean about trying to work through the anger you feel about certain situations. I hate being angry with people or things that have happened, but sometimes you need to be angry before you can reach that place where you accept what has happened.

    www.ameliais.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is lovely! I love how grammar concepts were used like syntax and parentheses (I can't spell).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kelley Anne! Love, Love, Love this post. I especially adore the fondness with which you refer to your husband. What a kind and patient man to coax you into going out and taking photos :) I even read it to my boyfriend in hopes that he would be inspired by Dan to be a better sport about this little world we ladies have created.

    With respect to your mention of poetry-- my favorite is The Bard. I've studied him with a fervor since I was a young girl and my favorite of his words, to date, come from the 17th Sonnet:

    'If I could write the beauty of your eyes
    And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
    The age to come would say, ‘This poet lies;
    Such heavenly touches ne’er touched earthly faces.’

    xoxo,
    Nicole

    ReplyDelete
  8. for life's not a paragraph

    And death i think is no parenthesis --> I have been thinking of having this tattooed FOR YEARS now. :) Hello fellow e.e. fan :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. So touching and lovely, Kelley Anne! Thank you for sharing this.

    I love "I swear by all flowers."

    iamemmamusic.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. e.e. cummings is a favorite of mine!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This one is really beautiful. I always find I like poety more when I hear it spoken out loud by someone. It's something to be savoured and pondered over, but I'm the kind of person that skim reads everything... I need to make more of an effort to get into poetry as I think I would really enjoy it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love e.e.cummings! I have 'i carry your heart with me' posted on my desk. Have you read much poetry by Margaret Atwood?

    ReplyDelete
  13. This a beautiful post. I love poetry too, Lord Byron is one of my favourites; but I specially love Ruben Dario, my mother used to read me his poems before I went to sleep... aw, good memories!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am so glad you posted this. What beautiful words! I love how you described the feelings you get with your husband - I can completely relate. The last experience I really had with poetry was probably in high school, sadly enough, where we had to write a poem in the style of Lord Byron. But your post has inspired me to pick up a book of poetry! Thank you!

    And you're so welcome about the blog list! I actually added you awhile back (I guess a month ago?) when I figured out how to make a blog list :) I adore your blog and I definitely want any of my readers to make their way over to your world of amazing vintage outfits and intellectual inspirations :)

    hugs

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am a poetry addict, and e.e. cummings is predictably one of my favourites, I think anyone who doesn't think his words a beautiful is a little mad.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I adore ee cummings, and this is one of my favorites. so so so beautiful.
    -indigo

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love ee cummings. i carry your heart was the poem at my wedding. Unfortunately I didn't take enough vacation pics for the blog but the rest of them are here at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=158970&id=611052427&l=ae85d84ba5.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your thoughts!