little birds
This is Kate's tattoo:
I discovered this poem in high school and immediately fell in love with the poem as well as ee cummings's style. The first two lines have since echoed in my brain as a sort of mantra reminding me to slow down and remember to appreciate the small pleasures in life. Also, the font is OldStyle and took me forever to decide on :) Overall, I am incredibly pleased with the tattoo!
may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old
may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young
and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile
- may my heart always be open to little by e.e. cummings.
i carry your heart
This tattoo was submitted by Bella.
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
- e. e. cummings, i carry your heart with me
(i carry it in my heart)
This tattoo was submitted by Danielle with a sad story:
Just over a year ago my fiance Noel took his own life. I had been in the process of making him a scrapbook to give to him at our rehearsal dinner. One of the pages included e.e. cummings' poem "i carry your heart with me."
A month after his death I had this tattoo done on the inside of my left wrist. It has the first line of the cummings' poem around a winged heart. The tattoo was done by Alex at Fat Ram Pumpkin Tattoo in JP, Mass. The picture doesn't do well showing the coloring, but Alex did a beautiful job.

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
- e. e. cummings, i carry your heart with me
this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
Submitted by Jessyintheskywithdiamonds:
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
- e. e. cummings, i carry your heart with me
e.e. cummings
be of love (a little) more careful
than of everything
guard her perhaps only
A trifle less (merely beyond how very)
closely than nothing
remember love by frequent
anguish (imagine
her least never with most
memory)
give entirely each
forever its freedom
(dare until a flower,
understanding ceaselessly sunlight
open what thousandth why and
discover laughing)
- e. e. cummings, be of love (a little)
e.e. cummings
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
- e. e. cummings, i carry your heart with me
e.e. cummings
you said Is
there anything which
is dead or alive more beautiful
than my body,to have in your fingers
(trembling ever so little)?
Looking into
your eyes Nothing,i said,except the
air of spring smelling of never and forever.
....and through the lattice which moved as
if a hand is touched by a
hand(which
moved as though
fingers touch a girl's
breast,
lightly)
Do you believe in always,the wind
said to the rain
I am too busy with
my flowers to believe,the rain answered
- you said Is by e.e. cummings






