the little horse is newlY: ee cummings

the little horse is newlY

Born)he knows nothing;and feels
everything;all around whom is

perfectly a strange
ness Of sun
light and of fragrance and of

Singing)is ev
erywhere(a welcom
ing dream:is amazing)
a worlD.and in

this world lies:smoothbeautifuL
ly folded;a(brea
thing and a gro

Wing)silence,who;
is:somE

oNe.

OK, so here's a really good example of why he's my favorite poet. This is one of those that in high school, people are like, "What the f*^k?" and give up. But for me, if you take the time to read the words and look at the arrangement, it cuts through clunky language and goes straight to emotion and image and something deeper.

I'll leave the in-depth analyzing to the poor high school teachers. But this poem makes me happy. A little new life is born, the world is wonderful, and there's a benevolent, silent Someone watching and caring.

When I lived in Finland, I lived on a dairy farm for awhile. One night I got called out to the barns to watch a calf being born. It was freezing cold, but the barn was warm, and I remember watching my host father working so hard and caring so deeply about these animals, gently coaching the mother, patting her side, as she labored. Finally the little calf was born. I said, Tervetuola! (Welcome!) I walked outside and was treated to a display of the Northern Lights, over a blanket of sparkling snow. We lived on the edge of a forest, so there were snow-covered trees just on the edge of my vision, and a warmly glowing farmhouse ahead of me.

That was one of the times I was really, really glad to have been sent to Finland, and would not have traded places with anyone in the world.

He knows nothing and feels everything.