E. E. Cummings - who are you,little i

This poem of E. E. Cummings [note: this is how he signed his own name, not e e cummings] now graces the wall of my office [the egoism begins]. It's the first piece of poetry to really grab my attention, touch me, make me appreciate life, and make me wish that I had written it--the desire to compose poetry is not wont for me.

who are you,little i

(five or six years old)
peering from some high

window;at the gold

of november sunset

(and feeling:that if day
has to become night

this is a beautiful way)


This poem touches me on several themes the first one being the one to draw me in:

1. "...if day/has to become night/this is a beautiful way" - is a touching way to describe an unwelcome transition. Related to all clouds having silver linings, I've begun to delve into the ways to find beautiful ways for all dreaded finales.

2. "little i/(five or six years old)" - This conveys the wonder of having a youthful presence in himself, and this presence can recognize the beauty of dusk as sublime.

3. "who are you,little i" - A seeming incredulity that there is this person inside (theme 2) who can have such thoughts and feelings about the world.

4. "little i" - Although typical for Cummings, the first person singlular uncaptilized "i" is further emphasised by the 'little' in 'little i'. This lowers the importance of self in regard to the experience.

5. "i" and november - the nonstandard capitalization of i (theme 4) and november deemphasizes the self and promotes the time and details of the sublime experience (theme 1).