For today’s poem of the day, I wanted to share a version of e. e. cumming’s “Maggie and Millie and Molly and May” that I particularly love. A few years ago, inspired by the act of reading poetry with her daughter, Natalie Merchant made an album of poems set to music, called “Leave Your Sleep” – from what I see on Amazon, there was also a book by the same title.
The poems range from the well-known to the fairly obscure but they are all “about, for or by children.” You can see a fabulous overview of the project here:
I loved the album so much that Rob got me tickets to see Natalie Merchant in concert for our anniversary. The show was not your typical concert. It was part performance / part class with Natalie sharing information about the poets and the background behind the poems she was about to perform. I have never been to a concert with PowerPoint slides before but it was fascinating and charming and I had a great time.
The songs range in style and subject but it is such a great collection that I definitely recommend that you go check it out. My personal favorites are Equestrienne, If No One Ever Marries Me, and this version of cumming’s Maggie and Millie and Molly and May.
Ciarrai Studios Literary Jewelry 