How can I describe what it feels like to read poetry by Walt Whitman?
It’s intimate, for sure. He’s right there with you, standing starkly “natural” in the open woods, letting the sunshine breathe on his bare skin. Every word is both private and perfectly natural. He shows you the smallest details, making them bigger and more electric. A blade of grass holds his attention, and soon you find it holding yours.
He doesn’t bombard you with snobbery or pretentious writing but instead wraps an arm around you while he speaks with exclamation marks and hungry words. In Walt Whitman’s poetry, you are not lost for thought or desperate for meaning. Instead, you are wide-eyed with wonder.
Until tomorrow, read slowly – take notes – apply the ideas.
-Eddy
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