Walt Whitman (31 May 1819 - 26 March 1892 / New York / United States)
Native Moments
NATIVE moments! when you come upon me--Ah you are here now! Give me now
libidinous joys only! Give me the drench of my passions! Give me life
coarse and rank! To-day, I go consort with nature's darlings--to-night too;
I am for those who believe in loose delights--I share the midnight orgies
of young men; I dance with the dancers, and drink with the drinkers; The
echoes ring with our indecent calls; I take for my love some prostitute--I
pick out some low person for my dearest friend, He shall be lawless, rude,
illiterate--he shall be one condemn'd by others for deeds done; I will play
a part no longer--Why should I exile myself from my companions? 10 O you
shunn'd persons! I at least do not shun you, I come forthwith in your
midst--I will be your poet, I will be more to you than to any of the rest.
Read poems about / on: dance, believe, nature, friend, night, life, joy, passion
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God! How I love Whitman! ! ! He made himself a poet for and of the common man. I have always envisioned Whitman as this very noble, dignified, yet exuberant, sort of man that clearly loved America, the joy of adventure, and had such a lust for Life w/out Hemingway's overly masculine tone. This is a great poem to me because he has also displayed his passion to be the voice of the kind of people, that in his day and age, had no such respect.
Thanks for letting me share, Joyce