Here is another short essay I wrote while participating in the edX massive open online course (MOOC) The Art of Poetry taught by Robert Pinsky.
“[i carry your heart with me(I
carry it in]” by E. E. Cummings http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/179622
Cummings' dismissal of correct
spacing and conventional punctuation and his frequent use of enjambment speed the poem along. He connects stanzas one and two
with an odd and lonely placement of “i fear.” And he seems to use parentheses as
substitutes for commas and periods. Cummings repeats “I carry your heart” twice
in the title of the poem, twice in the first line and twice in the last line but
each time with different punctuation and the only line in which the words are
in a complete sentence is, significantly, the last line of the poem. The bizarre
and playful appearance of this poem enhances the romantic message within it.
The first time I read this poem I thought it a lover’s playful valentine
to his sweetheart. Rereading it much later it seemed to me the “heart” in the
poem is memory. The memories of those we love are always with us. Fairly
recently, a friend’s father passed away. This woman had a very close and loving
relationship with her father. I was surprised to find myself quoting several
lines of “[i carry your heart with me (I carry it in]” to her. The embrace of
this poem by “the love poet” is greater than first appears.
No comments:
Post a Comment