Randy Poetry Blogging, explained

I posted the ee cummings poem below (she being Brand). Someone asked me why:

I have two funny stories about that poem, and they explain why I like it.

First, in 10th grade English we had to memorize a poem and recite it, after which we were to offer our penetrating analysis. I did Robert Frost's "Bereft," but a classmate of mine did that cummings piece.

His reading of it was incredible. Even better was watching a 15 year old boy try to explain and interpret a poem about sex with a virgin in front of our old maid of an English teacher and a class full of girls that he had a crush on. Red doesn't begin to describe it.

Then, about two years ago, I recounted that story to a friend, showing her the poem. She thought it was pretty funny too, so she showed it to another fellow that she knew. That gentleman went to great lengths to prove to us that this was a ridiculous internet hoax and that no respectable poet wrote that. His somewhat ashamed incredulity was quite funny.

That guy had some cojones, I have to admit. I still wouldn't read that poem in polite company.