“cared for anyone not at all”, they didn’t care for anyone- the individual and they didn’t care for each other at all.
“they sowed their isn’t, they reaped their same”, as established with the How town, they do not attempt anything outside their known habits
“ sun moon starts rain”, even when natural heavenly bodies change, the towns people do not.
Stanza 3
“children guessed (but only a few, and down they forgot as up they grew, autumn winter spring summer)”, Cummings sees innocence in children and because of it they have the ability to see noone’s love for anyone’s individuality. But as they get older this ability fades. Here the seasons start with autumn that led to winter, winter means death and sleep, as opposed to before when it lead to summer that meant rebirth and change. It could also mean that children understand that people just don’t care about each other, they recognized people’s indifference.
Stanza 4
“when by now”, noone and anyone lived spontaneously for the present
“tree by leaf”, they gain large advances from small things. Cummings considers risks taken as minute compared to the possibilities from pushing the boundaries. It could also be referring to parts of the sum of a whole suggesting the depth of anyone’s and noone’s shared experiences.
“she laughed his joy, she cried his grief”
noone partakes in all of anyone’s activities, laughing and crying with him when he does.
“ bird by snow and stir by still”, this is referring to the fact that she does the above through all circumstances. Bird by snow is the seasons showing anyone’s and noone’s ability to understand abstract ideas as opposed to society’s literal inflexibility. “stir by still”, is rest and motion, the word “by” means that even by rest the couple was dynamic.
“anyones any was all to her”, explains how much noone loved everything about anyone as well as reiterating the isolation motif.
Stanza 5
“someones married their everyones”, someones is non-specific while everyone’s is generic. This shows Cummings attitude towards marriage, marriage is a social convention that may not have anything to do with love.
“laughed their cryings and did their dance”, these are examples of ordinary couples lack of understanding one another, it also suggests their insensitivity and confusion. “did their dance”- also shows the social convention as marriage is, and it also compares to anyones danced his did.
“(sleep wake hope and then) they said their nevers they slept their dream”, the townspeople continue their cycle, their hope achieves nothing as long as they, they restrict their hopes and dreams to the realm of dream.
Stanza 6
“stars rain sun moons”- shows the passage of time
“( and only the snow can begin to explain how children are apt to forget to remember with up so floating many bells down)”, the children grow older and become everyone’s. they snow symbolizes the end of children’s innocence as they forget to remember the happiness anyone achieves opting for society’s mechanical activities (mechanical as bells).
Stanza 7
“one day anyone died I guess”, apathy- he knows it will not in the least bit change the townspeople, it also show the unconcern of the townspeople for anyone.
“(and noone stooped to kiss his face)”, double meaning of noone is used again to display the isolation and detachment.
“busy folk buried them side by side little by little and was by was”
Stanza 8
“all by all and deep by deep and more by more they dream their sleep”, they become part of a shared dream for all eternity.
“noone and anyone earth by april wish by spirit and if by yes”, they physical bodies return to dust- but they remain part of a dream together- immortality.
Stanza 9
“women and men (both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon starts rain” , the townspeople take no notice of it and continue their cycle, they achieve nothing- reaped their sowing, but we know they didn’t reap anything from stanza 2. They ‘went their came’, they go leaving no mark unlike anyone’s and noone’s immortality who are like the sun, moon starts and rain.
In the poem there are only two periods each occurring before women and men- perhaps signifying that they are not in sync with nature and the universe like noone and someone who blended with it. And it doesn’t starts with a sentence (it isn’t capitalized) and it also ends without a period which suggests that it ended where it started, they had made no progress.
