Poetic Education #24

(Everybody knows I have a sweet spot -ha!- for Cummings)

O sweet spontaneous

by e.e. cummings

O sweet spontaneous 

earth how often have 

the doting 

fingers of 

prurient philosophies pinched 

and poked 

thee 

has the naughty thumb 

of science prodded 

thy 

beauty       how 

often have religions taken 

thee upon their scraggy 

knees squeezing and 

buffeting thee that thou mightest conceive 

gods 

but 

true 

to the incomparable 

couch of death thy 

rhythmic 

lover 

thou answerest 

them only with 

spring