I have written before about the importance of poetry in our most poignant moments—both individually and as a culture. Traditionally, poetry has been included at the Presidential Inauguration. This year it will not. This is a missed opportunity for reflection and unity.
Leslie Lawrence has written eloquently about the ramifications of this loss here. In this post, I will attach a word document of a small portion of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” the quintessential American poem.
Thank you for Whitman’s beautiful words — this poem means everything to me–more meaningful than ever before.
In solidarity,
Joan Davis
Thank you for posting about this Marilyn!
One of my favourite poems:
“All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.
“Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.”
From “September 1, 1939” ~ W.H. Auden