foolsguinea's pages of quotes:

poems by edward estlin cummings:

old age sticks
up Keep
Off
signs)&

youth yanks them
down(old
age
cries No

Tres)&(pas)
youth laughs
(sing
old age

scolds Forbid
den Stop
Must
n't Don't

&)youth goes
right on
gr
owing old

(#57, 95 Poems, 1958)

  THANKSGIVING (1956)

a monstering horror swallows
this unworld me by you
as the god of our fathers' fathers bows
to a which that walks like a who

but the voice-with-a-smile of democracy
announces night & day
"all poor little peoples that want to be free
just trust in the u s a"

suddenly uprose hungary
and she gave a terrible cry
"no slave's unlife shall murder me
for i will freely die"

she cried so high thermopylae
heard her and marathon
and all prehuman history
and finally The UN

"be quiet little hungary
and do as you are bid
a good kind bear is angary
we fear for the quo pro quid"

uncle sam shrugs his pretty
pink shoulders you know how
and he twitches a liberal titty
and lisps "i'm busy right now"

so rah-rah-rah- democracy
let's all be thankful as hell
and bury the statue of liberty
(because it begins to smell)

(#39, 95 Poems, 1958)

time,be kind;herself and i
know that you must have your way

have it gently with ma belle—

but for beauty, understand,
life(and also you) would end

—time, she's very beautiful

(Etcetera: The Unpublished Poems:
LATE POEMS, III:10)

a Woman
               of bronze
unhappy
                                stands
at the mouth
an oldish woman
                                          in a night-gown
                               Boosting a
torch
Always
            a tired woman
            she has had children
                                             and They have forgotten
            Standing
                           looking out
to sea

(IX, REFLECTIONS, 1918
collected in Etcetera: The Unpublished Poems)

 should this fool die

let someone fond
of living lay

in his left hand


a flower whose

glory by no
mind ever was

taught how to grow

(Etcetera: The Unpublished Poems:
LATE POEMS, V:6)

 more to come... 

foolsguinea's other pages of quotes:
§ miscellaneous short quotes
§ Peter Porter: After Martial (poetry)
§ Harlan Ellison (quotes)
§ Daniel Quinn 1: excerpt from Providence
§ Daniel Quinn 2: various shorter passages
§ Sarah Byam (essays)

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