but mr can you maybe listen there’s

5 Comments

1. Mike says:

   May 24, 2007 at 12:49 am

   it seems to me that the juxtapostion of the sentance structior is symbolic of the opressed as they have less and less room to say anything, even in the title, it is cut off mid-sentence

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2. anne says:

   April 20, 2006 at 2:14 pm

   you all seemed to think it was political socio-economic commentary. i see it more as him feeling different than these people, than all people, they seem luckier and happier. his spirit is crumpled, he’s talking to no one, he thinks no one is there, but he hopes somehow someone will hear him. i don’t think e.e. cummings was political. if i’m wrong, and i’m missing something, let me know, but i think mostly he felt alienated and saddened at the state of humanity. he certainly made many social commentaries, but that’s not necessarily political.

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3. Iain says:

   August 14, 2005 at 12:13 am

   Who listens to the men and women who are reduced to smoking discarded cigarette butts? Society tars them all with the same brush, and never takes the time to differentiate between those who have sunk so far into the mire that they will not return, and those who seek compassion and a chance for contact with humanity. I am, however, puzzled by the 3rd stanza – others fly,their;puLLing:bright futures – I don’t understand the use of the punctuation, nor the capitalisation of ‘LL’ – assume it is a reference that I don’t recognise. It fascinates me how a few words can write a whole life story like this.

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4. Amanda says:

   February 27, 2005 at 12:11 pm

   i think that EEC is trying to say that only the people that have made a bright future for themselves are listened to as opposed to the ones who are “down to smoking found butts”…..this poem once again exemplifies EEC’s political view through his poetry, like alot of his other poetry

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5. Elise says:

   November 21, 2004 at 11:15 pm

   This poem reminds me of a Jewel song

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