“spring!may—” by E. E. Cummings (1952)

This poem appears directly after “[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]” in 95 Poems (1958). “spring!may,” also a metaphorical and lyrical celebration of love, employs some of the same images, including “the earth and the sky / are one today” (Lines 13-14) and a lover who is reminiscent of a “suddenly blossoming tree” (Line 22). Similar metaphysical connections between love and meaning are conveyed by such statements as “how?why / —we never we know” (Lines 4-5) and “(forever is now)” (Line 20).

“somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond” by E. E. Cummings (1923)

In one of Cummings’s early and most famous poems, some of the same techniques used in “[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]” deepen meaning. Along with forgoing capitalization, and making the most of enjambment, Cummings uses parenthetical asides to clarify meaning and relies on natural imagery. Thematic similarities also connect this poem to the sonnet, as Cummings’s speaker discusses the metaphysical and eternal of their beloved.

“love is more thicker than forget” by E. E. Cummings (1939)

In this poem, Cummings deals with the shifting conceptions of love.