Why, I ask you?

Here's a poem that I almost love. Almost. Try to figure out what's holding me back!

Chanson Innocente by e.e. Cummings

In Just-
spring when the world is mud-
lucious the little
lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

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

when the world is puddle-wonderful

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

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee



OK. Let's begin with the obvious. Why does it look like that? I know some times people do that sort of thing for the visual effect. It looks really jaggardy in the book....all the extra spaces between the words do not show here. In the book, there are about 5 extra spaces between the words "Spring" and "when" but they are in the same line. Also about 5 extra spaces between the words "BalloonMan" and "whistles". And the words "and the goat-footed" are stair-stepped. Fancy.
Whether you can appreciate that type of poetry or not, you have to wonder what kind of effect e.e. was going for when he chose to write the poem in this funky fashion? Ok, scroll down...





This is how looks in the book.


Does this work for anyone? I'm just not feeling it.
On a positive note, what I really liked is that this poem has some great descriptions, like "In just-spring, when the world is mud-lucious....when the world is puddle-wonderful..." But then here comes a "little lame balloonman whistling far and wee..." er...what is that? Is a little lame man whistling and weeing while he sells balloons? Does he do this every spring? What is wee in this poem? If it's "wide", couldn't the author have just said "far and wide?" I could keep going on this for while, but there's soooo much more to cover!
What about "eddieandbill" ? Does anyone know what the heck that is about? Is writing the names "Eddie and Bill" too normal? Or not poetic enough? Or are we to assume that Eddie and Bill are inseperable because their names are written as one? I guess, right? I guess that's sort of cute. Or lame. I'm seeing siamese twins. Whatever. Eddie and Bill are "running from marbles and piracies...." I love that! I can see that because my boys play marbles and pirates alot.
Moving along in the poem, we learn the whistling, weeing balloon salesman is also queer and old. Well, we knew he was queer, he's whistling and weeing. Maybe he thinks he can get away with it because he's old. Anyway...
Now here come "bettyandisbel"? I say again, why? Why no capital letters? And why is that bad grammar but good poetry?
Soooooo, Betty and Isbel "come dancing from hopscotch and jumprope." Well, we dance ALOT here at the Roberts house! And the kids play alot of hopscotch, so I've got great images in my mind. Until...we learn that the lame, queer old man is also goat-footed.

???????

So, now I'm no longer even envisoning a man with balloons, I just see a goat. An old male goat weeing on himself to attract the ladies. (yes, they really do that, and why on earth it works is beyond me.) Then the thought occurs to me, maybe he's not selling ballons, maybe he gives people rides in a hot air balloon. You think? If that's that case I certainly hope he's not weeing, whether he's a goat or man. Also, please note that he is now a balloonMan. Capital M. Unlike eddieandbill and bettyandisbel.

And then the poem ends. With the word "wee".

Call me shallow, but I don't get it. I could have loved this poem, if only it was "wide" and not "wee". I could've even gotten past the goat-footed thing. Sigh!