“Everybody Lived in a Pretty Town,” by EE Cummings, is a poem that alludes to the circle of life and how birth and death are a natural part of this cycle. . This meaning is conveyed by a complex metaphor; broken down, this metaphor slips to reveal the real social commentary behind it. This poem is an allegory; the speaker uses pronouns with unclear backgrounds to obscure the true meaning and add a poetic touch to the simple belief he is presenting. The first poetic device the speaker uses to convey his meaning in this poem is the unorthodox grammar and sentence structure. The poem begins with the lines “anyone lived in a pretty town / (with so many bells floating)” (1 – 2). In this case, this inappropriate grammar reinforces the idea that “anyone’s” story is (1). Thus, the “how city” (1) represents the fact that it is not necessary to specify the name of the city, because it happens to everyone in every city. The speaker is therefore alluding to the fact that the events in this poem are natural and that they happen to anyone, anywhere. EE Cummings deliberately uses “anyone” (1) and “nobody” (12) as pronouns with ambiguous antecedents to generalize the meaning of the poem to society and all its members. In this way, the speaker uses these thoughts as social commentary. He also manipulates time to make his message stand out. Lines 3, 8, 11, 21, 34 and 36 all contain an order either "spring summer autumn winter" (3), as in lines 11 and 34, or "sun moon stars rain" (8), as in lines 11 and 34. lines 11, 21, and 36. As the order of these seasons changes, it indicates the passage of time. This manipulation of time takes the focus away from these lines and directs it to those that have a deeper meaning hidden within. But there is another form of time: the progression of life. The speaker comments on the growth of children in terms of maturity levels and how, as they grow older, children tend to forget their childish whims and fancies and move on. He or she says that they "guessed (but only a few / and they forgot as they grew up" (9-10). He or she goes on to say that "no one liked [person] more and more” (12), alluding to a developing relationship, foreshadowing an eventual marriage.