Here's a breakdown of why:
* Free Verse: The poem does not follow a traditional rhyme scheme or meter. It uses enjambment (lines running into each other) and unconventional punctuation to create a unique rhythm and flow.
* Surrealism: The poem's language is often illogical and dreamlike. For example, the phrase "pretty how town" is nonsensical yet evocative. The repetition of "anyone" and "noone" further contributes to the surreal atmosphere.
* Modernist: Cummings's poem embodies some key modernist principles. It challenges conventional grammar and syntax, focusing on the immediacy of experience and subjective reality. It also uses everyday language and fragmented imagery to express complex emotions and ideas.
While "anyone lived in a pretty how town" is primarily a free verse poem with surrealist and modernist qualities, it also embodies elements of lyric poetry due to its focus on the speaker's emotional journey and subjective experience.