Tuesday, December 6, 2011

little tree by e. e. cummings



little tree
by e. e. cummings

Little tree
little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower
who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly
i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid
look the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,
put up your little arms
and i'll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy
then when you're quite dressed
you'll stand in the window for everyone to see
and how they'll stare!
oh but you'll be very proud
and my little sister and i will take hands
and looking up at our beautiful tree
we'll dance and sing
"Noel Noel”

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Remember
this December,
that love weighs more than gold.  ~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon


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7 comments:

Ben Ditty said...

What a beautiful, festive choice! :) Are you going to do a song post for Annie?

Kelly said...

The photo with this post is so sad, yet so sweet - all at the same time!
Precious little tree.

Wine and Words said...

This is lovely, thinking of a pine dree "dressed", wedded on every branch with rings and baubles. I love the Charlie Brown trees...those spindly things with the needles falling off, and the trunk like then legs of old men. Who can but love such a thing? We will all be so, if we are not already.

Love you My Marion.

Marion said...

Isn't e. e. cummings just the best ever, Ben? I actually saw this poem on a ho-ho-homemade Christmas card and had to find it in my "Complete Collect Poems" of his. I love it. Annie and I trade music all the time. I'm too lazy to stop my Playlist at the moment. Well, not lazy. You get the picture. ;-) xoxo

Kelly, it is definitely a Charlie Brown tree. But I love those little trees. I have two little fake trees, one pink (my Princess tree) and one green and I love them. Unfortunately, the cats like to attack them so all my ornaments are plastic. LOL! xoxo

Annie, I should have known you'd love CB trees, too. You're my sister by another mister. Love you, too. xoxo

Serena said...

I love that, and the poor, sweet little tree just tugs at your heartstrings.
xox

quid said...

ooooo an ee Cummings I've never seen, and the perfect photo to go with it. made my morning.

quid

Ed Pilolla said...

personifying the tree. it almost reads as an apology for taking it away from its home in the forest, or at least an acknowledgement that it has been ripped from its home. in exchange, we will dress you and love you and put you in the window for all to see. i love this sentiment and have never read it before. the tree gifts us, and we must in turn gift the tree for its life.