in Just

 

Photo by Me!

in Just- by E. E. Cummings

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


whistles far and wee


and eddyandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring


when the world is puddle-wonderful


the queer
old baloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing


from hop-scotch and jump-rope and


it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed


baloonMan whistles
far
and
wee

 

 

I captured that picture at the fair a few autumns ago. The best picture I ever created for my photography class. Even doing a google search, I couldn't find any pictures I liked better to go with this poem. I named my photo The Balloonman, after all. Fits nicely with this poem, I think, even if it was dark out and there are not children playing hop-scotch or jump-rope in it. And it wasn't spring.

I love this poem. Remember it from high school. The way Mrs. U would read it, the words just came alive. I can't make them sound the same as she did, but they lose no magic still, after all these years.