mr youse needn’t be so spry… (XVIII)

mr youse needn’t be so spry
concernin questions arty

each has his tastes but as for i
i likes a certain party

gimme the he-man’s solid bliss
for youse ideas i’ll match youse

a pretty girl who naked is
is worth a million statues

Analysis, meaning and summary of e.e. cummings's poem mr youse needn’t be so spry… (XVIII)

3 Comments

  1. Darian Grissom says:

    Alec Baldwin asks for his voice to be removed from an “unfair” documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger…

  2. Bart Edmondson says:

    e.e.cummings has been a favourite of mine for over 40 years but I hadn’t read any poems for ages- until now- feasted on nobody loses all the time, my sweet old etcetera and this.The best part for me is the unusual use of the word ‘spry’ seems an odd choice(especially for a Brit) but feels just right. Poem especially apt in UK with lots of Installation Art works around

  3. chrissjill says:

    This is a fun and playful poem that should be read aloud at least once, since it is written the way the speaker talks (using “youse” instead of “you”, for example). The speaker is the average (probably not well-educated) “guy on the street” who likes “he-man” activities like looking at naked girls (and probably beer and football games and the like). He is talking to someone with whom he has been discussing “questions arty” (art and possibly other “high-minded” activities). The speaker makes it clear which type of activities he prefers. I like the way the speaker, instead of being cowed or ashamed of not being more sophisticated, stands up for what he likes, even if it’s not what one is supposed to like. The speaker’s tone is agressive, but he is still friendly and willing to concede that “each has his own”.

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