Spring has sprung. Awash with descriptions of the glories of the new season, "in Just-" positively revels in everything that’s young and joyful. Of course, the appearance of a Pan-like balloonman complicates this easy, breezy, beautiful relationship between innocent children and an innocence-filled world. Is he, too, part of the natural world? If he’s a satyr, then the answer just might be "yes." Either way, though, he plays in integral role in heralding spring (after all, the arrival of the balloonman seems to be one of the first signs that it is spring in the first place).
Questions About Man and the Natural World
- Is this a poem about spring or about children? Are the two one and the same in this poem?
- Does the balloonman seem to be a part of spring or not? How can you tell?
- Would you describe spring as "mud-luscious?" What does this mean to you?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
This poem presents adulthood as an unnatural state.