on conscientious objectors...e.e.cummings:

[elehhhhna]

i sing of Olaf glad and big
whose warmest heart recoiled at war:
a conscientious object-or

his wellbelove'd colonel(trig
westpointer most succinctly bred)
took erring Olaf soon in hand;
but--though an host of overjoyed
noncoms(first knocking on the head
him)do through icy waters roll
that helplessness which others stroke
with brushes recently employed
anent this muddy toiletbowl,
while kindred intellects evoke
allegiance per blunt instruments--
Olaf(being to all intents
a corpse and wanting any rag
upon what God unto him gave)
responds, without getting annoyed
"I will not kiss your fucking flag"

straightway the silver bird looked grave
(departing hurriedly to shave)

but--though all kinds of officers
(a yearning nation's blueeyed pride)
their passive prey did kick and curse
until for wear their clarion
voices and boots were much the worse,
and egged the firstclassprivates on
his rectum wickedly to tease
by means of skilfully applied
bayonets roasted hot with heat--
Olaf(upon what were once knees)
does almost ceaslessly repeat
"there is some shit I will not eat"

our president,being of which
assertions duly notified
threw the yellowsonofabitch
into a dungeon,where he died

Christ(of His mercy infinite)
i pray to see;and Olaf,too

preponderatingly because
unless statistics lie he was
more brave than me:more blond than you.

[madame defarge]

1. thank you...

i've loved e.e. cummings's work since
i was a teenager
(a long time ago)
i was just
reading some of his poems with my
9 yr old daughter in hopes that she
too will love

[ananda]

2. This is a hard poem to read..

.. for both good and bad reasons.

Interestingly, the language is either preternaturally modern
in the way it uses profane phrasing, or else some things
never get dated.

Sue

[Schema Thing]

3. damn

[annabanana]

4. k&r. . . . . (it beggars comment)

[halobeam]

5. that was great.

I have not since (days
when younger)seen
such conflict of what
begs the mind
(the simple kind)to understand
the desparity of such living(feeling,
both which do not match) in peace.