my father moved through dooms of love

by E. E. Cummings
              34

|v|Y /=A~|~#3/^ m()V3c| ~|~|-|/~oUG|-| [>O0ms ()ph /_Ov[-
~|~Hr0(_)g|-| 5AMes 0F A|\/| +H/~oUg# h4v3S Oph Gi\/3,
Si|\|gi/vg [-@[H |\/|()rNing ()(_)t of Eac# n!g|-|~|~
my F@~|~H[-/^ |v|ove[> ThR()ugh dEpt|-|s of h[-19|-|+

tHI5 moT1onl35s f0rg3+ph|_||_ WHEr3
+|_|/^ned At #1$ G/_a|\|ce +o sh1n1|\|G h[-/~3;
ThA+ iph(S() ~|~IMid 4Ir is FiR|v|)
(_)/vder hiS ev/3s WOuld stI/~ 4/vD sQUiRm

newlv/ @5 F/^0|v| |_||\|b|_|/~!3[> |/\||-|ich
f|_oat$ Th[- Firs+ who,#is A/ORil tOuc|-|
DR0v3 Sl33/O!ng S[-lv35 ~|~O swA/~M +#e1/^ ph4T3s
WOk[- [>rEa|\/|3/^s ~|~O th3ir 9#0sTlY roo+S

4N|) sh0uLd sOmE \\/|-|v/ c()M/>|_Ete|_y w3[-p
m`/ FAthE/~'S /=1Nge/~5 brou9hT #3r 5L33/>:
V4in|_`/ No $mAlL3$T voi[e M1gH+ c/^y
For he [OU/_d pheE|_ +h[- mo(_)nT4iNs gROW.

lift!/v9 tHe Val/_ev/5 O/= ~|~|-|[- 5[-4
|v|`/ /=Ath[-R |v|()veD ~|~hr0ugh gr!e/=$ 0F jOY;
p/~a1$ing a ph()/~e#e@D [All[-[> ~|~he mO()n
$!ngi/v9 d3s!re into B39!n

_/()y \\/aS h1s s()|\|G @N|) jOv/ 5o p|_|/^3
A h34/^t of 5ta/^ 8y H!m [()(_)/_|) $tEer
A|\|[> /OurE $0 Now 4/v[> N()W $o Ye5
+#3 \\/ri5~|~s OF tW!/_!GHt W0u|_c| r[-_/o1C3

|<[-E/v As |v|iDsU|v||\/|3r'$ |<e[-|\| B3yoNd
c()nCE!viNG mI|\|D of SU|\| |/\|!Ll s+aNd,
5o S+rictlv/(()vE/^ |_|~|~MoS+ |-|IM
SO hug[-ly) stoOd |v|`/ FA+h3r's d/~e@|v|

his /=/_3sH Wa5 f/_Es# #IS bl()()d \\/@s b/_oO|):
/v() HUngry mA|\| b|_|T |/\|!s|-|ed him fo()D;
no cr!pPl3 \\/0u|_[>n'~|~ (ree/> 0Ne mI|_e
u/Oh1L|_ to ()n/_Y SEE h!|v| $M!lE.

S(Or/v!nG t#e Po|\/|p ()ph |\/|ust aNd sh@L|_
m`/ /=@+#3R |\/|Ove|) ~|~H/~O(_)gh |)ooM5 Oph Fee|_;
h!s ang3/^ |/\|@s AS R1G#+ 4s Rai/v
His Pi+v/ Was 4s G/^[-en a5 G/~AIN

53/O~|~E|\/|BE/^inG A/^mS ()f Year 3Xte|\|d
Y[-$ #uM8|_Y WeaLth tO ph()E @|\||) frIend
tHan h3 to pho0l1sh 4n|) +o wise
ophf3re|) 1MmeaS(_)/~4bl3 iS

/>/~o(_)dly A/vD(8`/ o(tobe/~!/vg fLAme
BeCKOn[-d)a$ [-4RTh Wil|_ d0WN\\/4R[> [/_!|v|B,
$() n4|<3d fOR 1m|\/|O/~ta|_ wO/~K
h!5 $|-|0|_|/_|)3rs m@/~[#eD aGAi|\|$T t|-|3 c|4rk

|-|!s sor/~ow wa5 @$ tr|_|[- 4$ b/~e@d:
/vo liar l()ok[-|) |-|i|\/| !n +|-|3 he@[>;
!f eVeRv/ fR!3|\|[> 8e[4|\/|3 #!s /=0e
h3'|) l4(_)g|-| @|\||) 8|_|i|_d 4 WOrl|) W!+|-| snow.

my faT|-|e/^ MoV3d +#/^ough t#3ys ()f w3,
$!|\|gi|\|G E@c|-| /v[-\\/ leAF 0Ut ()f e@[h ~|~re3
(4nd [-veRy chIld |/\|4s sU/^E t|-|4t $/O/~1Ng
c|a|\|[Ed when S|-|e he4/^d |\/|`/ faTH3r s!n9)

THeN l[-t m[-|\| |<ilL \\/H1CH Cann0+ s#@/~E,
/_[-T blo0d 4nd f|_esH 8e |\/||_||) a/vd |\/|I/~E,
$che|\/|iNg !Mag1/vE,/OA$5iO/v \\/IlL3[>,
ph/~eed()m A c|/^(_)g Th4T'5 b0Ug#~|~ @/vD S()lc|

GivIn9 tO s+Ea|_ And [ru[-l kInD,
a h[-aR~|~ to ph[-AR,To DoUbT A Mi|\|D,
~|~() D1/=ph3r 4 D1sEaSe 0f SAm3,
confO/~|v| ~|~he pinNa[l3 0/= @m

th0ugh Du|_l we/~[- 4/_l we TaS~|~e as |3/~1g|-|t,
bit+[-r 4Ll |_|+~|~3rlv/ +Hi|\|9s s\\/e[-t,
|v|ag90ty MInus 4nD |)|_||\/||3 dEAth
@|_l w[- inhe/^IT,a|_|_ B[-q(_)EATH

a/vc| no+#!N9 Q(_)i+3 sO /_east @5 tru+#
--i SAY T#o(_)Gh h4T3 We/~3 w#`/ M3n br3a+HE--
|3ecAuS3 |v|v/ f@t#er Liv3c| |-|!$ 5oUL
/_o\/e I5 THe wh()l3 an[> MoRe th4/v al|_
the demonweb

my father moved through dooms of love
