Walt Whitman, sometimes referred to as "America's Poet" was among the first authors we studied in my American Literature course which covered just before the civil war on up to the modern era.

This poem "I Sit and Look Out" was first published in 1860.

I like to interpret the work as a call to not be a passive and uninvolved participant in society particularly when there is injustice and cruelty in many forms which we can be a part of the solution for. That we should not not simply see, hear, and be silent, but to act and not be complacent to the status quo or give in to that sense of powerlessness to enact change.

Anyway, I thought y'all might like it. I've found it to be a stirring poem that reminds me of what I shouldn't do. Although , I will admit, it is sad to read a poet describe over a century ago things that are still being grappled with in the nation as a whole in the modern era.

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HERE'S MY READING OF IT (Fair warning there is the use of the word "negroes" once, this was written in the 1800's so cut it some slack).

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Some Random Whitman info:

• Whitman reportedly enjoyed swimming naked and sunbathing nude.
• Whitman was deeply influenced by deism. He denied any one faith was more important than another, and embraced all religions equally.
• It is suggested from his poetry that he may have been homosexual or bisexual although this was never confirmed.
• His best known work, Leaves of Grass, was often labeled pornographic or obscene by critics of the time due to the content/subject of some of his poems.