(9) Mount Everest
We didn't give it a ten because there are harder poems out there, but the fact remains that Cummings' poetry is really tough if you plan on getting as much as you can out of it. Sure, you could probably glance at the poem and vaguely understand that it's about an average life in an average town. But to get at the true meaning you really need to pull out your mental nutcracker and bust through the hard shell of Cummings' language. To help you do this, be sure to check out our detailed summary.