American Feuillage
July 6, 2023Ages And Ages, Returning At Intervals
July 6, 2023Ah Poverties, Wincings Sulky Retreats
AH poverties, wincings, and sulky retreats!
Ah you foes that in conflict have overcome me!
(For what is my life, or any man’s life, but a conflict with foes–
the old, the incessant war?)
You degradations–you tussle with passions and appetites;
You smarts from dissatisfied friendships, (ah wounds, the sharpest of
all
You toil of painful and choked articulations–you meannesses;
You shallow tongue-talks at tables, (my tongue the shallowest of
any
You broken resolutions, you racking angers, you smother’d ennuis;
Ah, think not you finally triumph–My real self has yet to come
forth;
It shall yet march forth o’ermastering, till all lies beneath me;
It shall yet stand up the soldier of unquestion’d victory.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist, often referred to as the "father of free verse". His best-known work, "Leaves of Grass," is a celebration of American democracy, individualism, and the common people. Whitman's poetry also explored themes of sexuality and the body. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature.