in Just-

spring when the world is mud-

luscious 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

~ e.e. cummings ~

When I was in gradeschool I was first introduced to e.e. cummings and I fell in love with him. And this poem was it! I was so in love with this poem I memorized it just so I could run around outside shouting it, and everything was mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful and I thought those were the two most wonderful words I had ever heard, and everything was "far and wee."

I'm quite certain I was a very odd child, and I much preferred books, my dogs, and nature to anything else in the world. It made me love hop-scotch and jump-rope, and I wanted to meet bettyandisbel and whistle with the lame balloon man and go running wild into a meadow holding on to balloons of every color!

And here's the thing... I will be 55 on April 30, and while I look like somebody's grandmother, which I am, I am still that giggly, giddy little girl inside and I shout out that poem to a room full of parrots and pugs and 2 snails and a fish and big dog Moe.

I was outside with the five dogs a few times this morning and while I'd fall over on my head and do serious damage if I tried, INside I was running far and wee, and the sun was shining brightly, the bit of breeze on this warm spring day just delicious, the earth is waking up and living growing things are everywhere! Narcissus and grape hyacinths and Siberian iris -- gorgeous! -- and the bright yellow flowers of the Japanese kerria are starting to bloom and roses are in bud everywhere.

... and the world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful...

And I hope I meet a goat-footed whistling balloon man today and we will whistle and play marbles and there will be piracies a-plenty! I feel giddy with joy. It's spring, it's my birth-month, spring is so full of hope and joy and new things -- potent possibilities abundant -- and the little balloonman...

Well, at least here the little pugs are snoring and the parrots are playing-eating-sleeping and I am about to go into the kitchen and make a latte the size of Texas and watch the wild birds in the garden just outside the windows while I froth the milk and though I am 5'8" tall I will stand up on my toes like a little girl trying to see out of the window better, and I will wait for that first enchanting night when I stand, late, doing dishes, and it is black outside, and the light over my sink draws moths to the window, but most especially delightful are the tiny spring peepers, the little green frogs that are so perfect, their little feet suctioning to the window, and he looks at me and I at him and his eyes grow wide and so do mine and the sink is running over with bubbles and the little lame balloonman is far and wee and it's beautiful and it's amazing and it's... just... spring!

I feel giddy and happy. I hope you do too...





... who just this week drove past a house with the whole front yard filled with those marvelous pink plastic flamingos and thought it was the most magical things I had ever seen. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.......