The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Wed 5/16/2007)

[RetroLounge]

A Woman Waits for Me

A Woman waits for me--she contains all, nothing is lacking,
Yet all were lacking, if sex were lacking, or if the moisture of the
right man were lacking.

Sex contains all,
Bodies, Souls, meanings, proofs, purities, delicacies, results,
promulgations,
Songs, commands, health, pride, the maternal mystery, the seminal
milk;
All hopes, benefactions, bestowals,
All the passions, loves, beauties, delights of the earth,
All the governments, judges, gods, follow'd persons of the earth,
These are contain'd in sex, as parts of itself, and justifications of
itself.

Without shame the man I like knows and avows the deliciousness of his
sex,
Without shame the woman I like knows and avows hers.

Now I will dismiss myself from impassive women,
I will go stay with her who waits for me, and with those women that
are warm-blooded and sufficient for me;
I see that they understand me, and do not deny me;
I see that they are worthy of me--I will be the robust husband of
those women.

They are not one jot less than I am,
They are tann'd in the face by shining suns and blowing winds,
Their flesh has the old divine suppleness and strength,
They know how to swim, row, ride, wrestle, shoot, run, strike,
retreat, advance, resist, defend themselves,
They are ultimate in their own right--they are calm, clear, well-
possess'd of themselves.

I draw you close to me, you women!
I cannot let you go, I would do you good,
I am for you, and you are for me, not only for our own sake, but for
others' sakes;
Envelop'd in you sleep greater heroes and bards,
They refuse to awake at the touch of any man but me.

It is I, you women--I make my way,
I am stern, acrid, large, undissuadable--but I love you,
I do not hurt you any more than is necessary for you,
I pour the stuff to start sons and daughters fit for These States--I
press with slow rude muscle,
I brace myself effectually--I listen to no entreaties,
I dare not withdraw till I deposit what has so long accumulated
within me.

Through you I drain the pent-up rivers of myself,
In you I wrap a thousand onward years,
On you I graft the grafts of the best-beloved of me and America,
The drops I distil upon you shall grow fierce and athletic girls, new
artists, musicians, and singers,
The babes I beget upon you are to beget babes in their turn,
I shall demand perfect men and women out of my love-spendings,
I shall expect them to interpenetrate with others, as I and you
interpenetrate now,
I shall count on the fruits of the gushing showers of them, as I
count on the fruits of the gushing showers I give now,
I shall look for loving crops from the birth, life, death,
immortality, I plant so lovingly now.

Walt Whitman

****************

RL

If you have a request for a certain Poet, post their name in the thread and I will find a poem by them and post it...

if you want to see some of my poetry, see the blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/retropaul

[wildhorses]

1. i strive to be this woman, daily

sadly, i fall short
sometimes
when the wind blows
gently

i can feel her
rising
from deep within
my soul

she is all women
and all women are me

:shrug:


anyway, thanks for the whitman:hug:

:hi:

[BarenakedLady]

2. Hmmmm

interesting

How many euphemisms for ejaculating are there anyway. :shrug:

[lizziegrace]

3. Heh

:)

[wildhorses]

4. well, yeah, but , for once i was trying to take the high road

and read something more esoteric into it...

wasn't he gay...or am i confusing him with someone else?

[BarenakedLady]

5. High road?

Where is that?

:rofl:

[wildhorses]

6. i can see it when i stand on my tippy toes in the gutter

:rofl:

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

7. Yes he was...

RL

[wildhorses]

8. interesting perspective from him

and the reason i did not take it literally...

although it is graphic in descriptions metaphorically speaking.

PEOPLE....speak up!!! retro has posted a dirty poem...

do you think the word poem in your op scares people from making a comment?

[RetroLounge]

9. Ahem

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6514023

:D

RL

[lizziegrace]

11. You sir

are evil.

:evilgrin:






:spank:

[Writer]

10. Oh my - Walt Whitman

:loveya:

Thank you, RL. :hug: He is such an honest, passionate poet.

And I especially like this one. Another favorite of mine is "From Pent Up, Aching Rivers."

[RetroLounge]

13. "From Pent Up, Aching Rivers."

Oh my :blush:

That IS good...

RL

[idgiehkt]

12. when I think about the era this was written in

lines like this

"Without shame the man I like knows and avows the deliciousness of his
sex"

stun me.

One of my favorites, I think Whitman was bi...and he's talking about prostitutes here too. Nowadays it's like 'meh' but back then this was revolutionary.