A Glimpse Poem by Walt Whitman

A Glimpse

Rating: 3.2



A GLIMPSE, through an interstice caught,
Of a crowd of workmen and drivers in a bar-room, around the stove,
late of a winter night--And I unremark'd seated in a corner;
Of a youth who loves me, and whom I love, silently approaching, and
seating himself near, that he may hold me by the hand;
A long while, amid the noises of coming and going--of drinking and
oath and smutty jest,
There we two, content, happy in being together, speaking little,
perhaps not a word.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Paul Krachtower 02 April 2012

One of Whitman's beautiful shorter poems. The master at work!

24 10 Reply
Carlos Echeverria 09 February 2012

Whitman's expressing sexual frustration in a beautiful poem.

15 16 Reply
Abby Keen/harris 09 February 2010

im not experianced but this poem u wrote is amazing! it is simple but yet expresses some much emotion. Good work!

8 23 Reply
Juan Olivarez 09 February 2011

Anastasia Walt Whitman is dead. He has been for over hundred years, I personally did not like Walt Whitmans writings except for a few. Like Captain my Captain, and When Lilacs last in the dooryard bloomed. His poetry to me was too conceited and at the time we studied it in the 60s he just did not measure up to the greats.

13 16 Reply
Terence George Craddock 09 February 2010

Interesting comments to come so late upon. Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass, that gave so many readings of illumination, so who cares if he was gay? And if he was? What courage to write it down at the time, originating as Walt did from a Quaker background. With Walt having four handicapped siblings and my own childhood memories of coal mining and logging pubs, I can see other readings from an era extinct, now even in the isolated region of my birth. Is not a strength of this poem, the rural description and invitation to each reader to perceive what they may?

19 8 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 09 June 2022

THREE: fully occupied drinking people there. Interstice means we can observe each person unseen. Typical poem by Walt Whitman about being gay. Remarkable Classic Poem Of The Day

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 09 June 2022

TWO: although amidst the big noise, In the title and the first line, we find the word "glimpse" means an observation. Perhaps it is about the secret that we can look "through an interstice caught" means with the way looking an interstice and we see a room.

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 09 June 2022

ONE: "A Quiet observation in the middle of the noise, and drunken raillery, about love amongst two men, one of them is young but they love each other and feel their happiness

0 0 Reply
Rose Marie Juan-austin 08 June 2022

A very interesting poem with compelling images.

0 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 08 June 2022

I really admire his brave utterances, at a time when homosexuality was regarded as a very serious taboo with dire consequences.

0 0 Reply
Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

New York / United States
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