Wednesday, March 07, 2018

Mud-Luscious


[in Just-]

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


**************************************

Mud-luscious -- what a remarkable and original word from this perfect spring poem by e.e. cummings. Maybe your teacher read it to you in school some time in the past; I think it's a popular poem for classroom use. But it's also a powerful poem, and when poets make up words like mud-luscious you don't forget them.

As I walked around a woodland trail the other day, squelching into the mud puddles and crunching through stretches where snow hadn't yet melted, I kept thinking "mud-luscious." The photos here are my effort to capture the early-spring feel of this walk, especially the bluebirds that were perching in one part of the woods, and the shoots coming up in the mud by the stream.

Luscious is a food word, though I don't use it often or see it in other people's food descriptions. I'll have it in mind, though, for the next time I taste a deeply sweet and satisfying dessert or a flavorful bowl of luscious soup. But for now, I have paths in the woods that are mud-luscious.

That's my word for Wordy Wednesday! Thank you, e.e. cummings. And thank you, Poetry Foundation, for the text of this poem, which I remember from long ago.

6 comments:

Kitchen Riffs said...

I haven't thought of that poem in years! You're right -- it's the perfect spring poem. And mud-luscious is such a terrific phrase. I kinda like puddle-wonderful, too. :-)

bermudaonion said...

Lovely poem with a lovely word. I wish spring would hurry up and get here.

Abbe@This is How I Cook said...

Always a great poem and I love the photos you posted with it. Unfortunately her in Colorado we aren't having much of a mud season this year due to lack of moisture. Love that bluebird!

Tandy | Lavender and Lime (http://tandysinclair.com) said...

I have never seen the poem before so that is a new word for me. I shall remember it for when we get rain again :)

wisps of words said...

Your walking sounds just, as you describe it!

"Luscious" is a word, which needs to be used more. It has a rather decadent ring to it. ,-) As many things, including good food, should have.

Let's use it more! Luscious!

Vicki said...

That's a new word for me. I like the poem and the photos.