Banishing your Balloonman: A look at cummings “In Just–“

in Just-

by: e.e. cummings (1894-1962)

in Just-

spring             when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles         far         and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it’s

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far         and           wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it’s

spring

and

       the

                        goat-footed

balloonman           whistles

far

and

wee

“in just” was originally published in The Dial Volume LXVIII, Number 5 (May 1920). New York: The Dial Publishing Company, Inc.

Go ahead, read this poem out loud.  No one can hear you.  It is the type of poem that begs to be vocalized.  I’ll wait right here till you’re done.

Fun right?  It’s a good one to commit to memory. 

Well, even though it is not “JUST” spring, and instead it is more like “mid to late” spring, I’ve been thinking a lot about this poem lately.  

“In Just–“   seems so playful on one level. I mean, come on,  it’s about spring, kids, and playing outdoors.  We’ve got tons of fun things going on here.  Betty and Isabel jump rope and hop-scotch and dance; Eddie and Bill have marbles and pretend to be pirates.  Good times.   

Everything is brand-spanking new, so exciting, and complete with fresh, unexpected ways of looking at the world like “mud-luscious” and “puddle-wonderful”.   Mud is pretty darn luscious when you think about it, too.

It seems like a real feel-good kind of poem. 

Then the balloonman whistles far and wee, and the kids go running and dancing to him.   At first you may think, “Hey, that’s just another fun childhood thing.  The kids are pumped to go get some balloons from the guy.”

 Well, maybe. 

But first, let’s check out the descriptions of the balloonman: little, lame (meaning walks with difficulty), queer (meaning odd), old, and goat-footed. (If you didn’t find him suspect before, maybe the goat-footed bit got you thinking?) 

Plus, what’s up with him always whistling?  

 

Remind you maybe of this dude, hmmm?  He pretty much fits the bill, right?  Who is he?  Hint: that thing he is holding is a “pan” flute.     

Yup, that’s Pan from Greek mythology.  Pan is a pretty creepy dude/goat.  When he plays his pan flute, he creates panic.  Plus, he is well known for his . . . well . . . lusty ways.  A simple Google image search for Pan yields lots of cringe-worthy images.  Even you Fifty Shades fans may find yourself a bit horrified. 

Okay, so we have these sweet little kids who are loving the beautiful, fresh spring day when they are lured off by the sound of Pan’s flute.  The tone has changed.  Maybe it is not just a feel-good poem, after all. 

What is to happen to them?  Is it sinister?  I mean, do they come back at all?  Or maybe they do come back, but in some changed way?  Could this just represent the unavoidable fall from childhood innocence that is a natural part of growing up? Another manifestation of the good ol’ coming-of-age theme?   

Some people really want this to be a sweet poem, and I feel you.  Really, that would be nice.  So, is it possible that this is just a poor old vendor that the kids describe in this rather unflattering way?  Probably not.  It is really hard to ignore the classic symbolism of the goat feet and whistle. 

This poem makes me think of how sometimes there are people (or things) who take us away from happiness in our lives.  The buzz kills.  The toxic people.  The stuff that clutters up our lives.  

Balloonmen come in various shapes and sizes.  Chances are good that there is one that fits you perfectly:

• Maybe it is a person who monopolizes your attention and takes you away from what you should be doing. 
• Maybe it is a teacher or a boss who makes you feel marginalized or incapable. 
• Maybe it is someone who you think is cool, so you alter your thoughts to match hers—even subconsciously. 
• Maybe it is drugs or alcohol. 
• Maybe it is wanderlust—thinking that happiness can be found by changing location.
• Maybe it is an obsession with stuff, collecting, shopping.

Maybe it is an unscrupulous editor who ripped you off and for a moment made you question yourself?

What all these balloonmen have in common is that their “songs” lure us away from real happiness somehow.  They are false or empty prophets; they are confidence shatterers;  they are never any good for us, but they are so very tempting to listen to. 

Sometimes you don’t recognize the balloonmen in your life for a while, but if you start looking carefully, you will find his feet.  

Oh, and one more thing.  Upon discovery that someone has goat feet, you’ve only one real option.  Don’t even think you have the power to change them to human feet. 

Maybe along with teaching kids to never accept candy from strangers, we should also warn them about the goat-footed among us.