Saturday, October 23, 2010

I sing of Olaf, glad and big

As the Spring cleaning 1992 project continues, four-five pages a day (out of thousands) get committed to my computer archives, I keep running into treasures from when I was a very serious young man in high school, most probably my senior year, 1968-69.

I found my typed copy of this e e cummings master piece, which speaks for itself:

i sing of Olaf glad and big
by E. E. Cummings


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

his wellbelovéd 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 ceaselessly 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.



The poetry of e e cummings always attracted my attention, but today, with 41additional years of experience plus the wisdom (or lack thereof) thereby obtained, AND the great gift from God of many manic moments, I have insights and understandings whereas previously, I had only a soul-full psychic connection.

Child was father
to the man