We are the art work of the people who went before us. And the painters of the souls whom we meet throughout our existence.

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Grant Mosley
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1 A Dialogue with Walt Whitman: Poems Written by English Honors Ten 1. Walt Whitman, I can t find you. This is not meant to be a game of hide and seek. You are not under my boot There is onbly this blade of grass I can t find you, Walt Whitman. Find me. Kerry Conlon 2. Painter of Souls All goes onward and outward. Walt Whitman I suppose we are born clean Our pure and naked skin unblemished and untouched. Our purely naked souls perfect and untouched. I suppose we have a gift for affecting other people. Our distinct hatreds can cut and scar. Our distinct love can heel aand awaken. We are the art work of the people who went before us. And the painters of the souls whom we meet throughout our existence. Life is not finite and it cannot be contained in hours or years. Your life is not your own once you are alive. It moves onward and outward It can reach as far as a person can go. It can be as colorful as people can be because Vitality is an immeasurable quantity. Grace Dolan

2 3. Walt Whitman: Your poems make me think About what it is like to have such a complex mind. You fascinated by grass You make it seem beautiful and amazing. While I think it is just a plant in the ground. You compare it to hieroglyphics and uncut hair You make your mark on the world with your yawps While I do not speak my mind. How did you come to be so outspoken/ How so thoughtful? I wish I had your mind which is so fascinated by everything. Olivia Burek 4. Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman. Who are you, really? Father of American Poetry/ Sneaky self-promoter? Are you the beloved grass on my boot soles/ To me, you are a man just trying to live. You are a believer in America, and just trying to live your American Dream You are a regular straphanger, with wisdom and a pen I guess you are a pretty cool guy. Caroline Adams

3 5. The Earth Man The earth man lived, with beard of white In Amerikay, of stars and stripes. And whispered words with every breath Of equality and the nature of death. The Earth itself is free of time and stance Yet now I speak in rhyme and stanze On purpose to defy Whitman s great command That in poetry nary shall there be Restrictions to lines such as these. Though I figure at last I shall commend And abide by thy insane commands At least in the telling of the Man and his land: The Earth has become thy new face. The grass, the swaying hairs of your beard, The mountains, the bridge of your nose, And dirt your sun-kissed skin. For you have loved the trunk of every tree, Borne bare soles to the earthen patch, And breathed in every wake of the wind. I am grown, but still, I do not know why, Yet I feel The Earth lived in every corner of your soul. Erin Torres

4 6. You Say Dear Walt Whitman: Your thoughts rather exceed what our minds can handle. Your ideas too complicated to untangle. A century of generations have walked on the soil That once formed the atoms of your blood. And still we do not see what you see in a flower bud. You say the grass grows equally between black and white Stating, we all have equal rights, But does it also grow between a woman and a man? A woman s life is run according to society s plan. While a man s is run by his own hands. You say a blade of grass is a child A little thing that runs wild But we must remember that when a child smiles, It sees the little things that make life worthwhile. You say the grass is uncut hair of graves Well, I am sorry, but I don t want to be in the grass enslaved. I believe there is something greater for us It is better than what I can imagine Or than what you think may happen You can keep waiting for me But you will never know where I possibly will be. Jana Tehfe 7. Walt, Who are you? Where are you? Do you still sing America Are you a blade in the grass? Can you see us now? Are you proud? We still watch you. We still look up to you. You inspire us every day. But are you really here? Jamie Camera

5 8. The million blades of grass Voicing the brilliance of your poetry Blades that represent the sharpness Of death untold, Or the sharpness of your yawp of freedom Heard millions of miles, heard millennia away And under our boot soles. For your words untranslatable Touched dead men and women. Bravo. May your grass grow tall. Gia Bonilla 9. Walt and the Whitmans: An All American Band Walt Whitman, the music man. Conducting your chorus, Encouraging harmony. Every blade of grass allowed an equal part in the song. You are a new type of artist, A misunderstood classic in the making. Your album features all of the overlooked artists: The carpenter, the young wife, and all the others in between. You have created a new genre The genre of freedom and unity. Breaking the traditional style, Reforming our verses and developing a new beat. Thank you, Mr. Whitman. Whether they remix, cover, or sample your songs, Your music shall forever inspire new voices. Melanie Watson

6 10. Kindly Respond You say that you are under my boot soles, That you depart as air, shaking your white locks at the runaway sun. But Whitman, are you actually there? Do you really wait for me? Do you understand? Are you truly untamed, untranslatable, unbridled? Whitman, I wish to see the world as you see. I wish to let out a barbaric yawp over ther roofs of the world, Or over Brooklyn, at least. To be able to grab a handful of grass and see a thousand and one things. But the world is far from celebrating itself. America is simply a word, a title, And equality was never born. That is why I ask, Walt Whitman, Are you really there? Do your words truly mean something Or was it all business? I would like to hear your enchanting call, Your nature song., I would like to sing along. But in the meantime, Whitman, You are just a head stuck in the dark grass, Nowhere to be seen. Please answer, Walt Whitman. Kindly respond.

Excerpts from 'Song of Myself': 1, 2, 6, 52 By Walt Whitman 1855

Name: Class: Excerpts from 'Song of Myself': 1, 2, 6, 52 By Walt Whitman 1855 Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. Whitman is considered one of the most influential