Since feeling is first

[1] The poem is written in Cummings's characteristic style, which lacks traditional orthography and punctuation.

This poem uses an extended metaphor in favor of emotions by negatively equating grammar with thought and rationality.

[4] Other scholars have called Cummings a neo-Romantic instead, citing his deliberate use of illogic (as in the title of the collection, Is 5, which stems from the assertion that "two plus two is five").

[3] Cummings plays with syntax, such as in the lines "Wholly to be a fool/while Spring is in the world/my blood approves", which is syntactically correct but is oddly ordered.

Though the speaker seems to make a case in favor of feeling as opposed to thought, potentially negative words are associated with this theme, including "fool" ("wholly to be a fool") and the highly connotative "fate" ("kisses are a better fate").

[3] Critics have also noted that the poem exhibits a high degree of craftsmanship and makes very specific syntactic decisions in spite of the apparent disdain for language and thought.