I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear;One of the most famous poems from the collection is Song of Myself, where Whitman inhabits the lives of people he sees on the street, and imagines a fluid connection between their consciousness and his, effectively demonstrating how we are all one.
Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be,
blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank of beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves
off work;...
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of
the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows,
robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
I Celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I grew up celebrating the Fourth of July as a day of remembrance for my ancestors who were not free, though they were as central to the creation of America as George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. We barbecued, we played games, and we oohed at the fireworks, but we also raised our lemonade glasses to Great Grandma Mee, a sharecroppers daughter and the first generation born free. My parents talked about participating in the March on Washington, on hearing MLK Jr speak, on having friends who went on Freedom Rides and came home, irrevocably changed by what they had seen and experienced.
The impalpable sustenance of me from all things, at all hours of the day;
The simple, compact, well-join'd scheme—myself disintegrated,
every one disintegrated, yet part of the scheme:
The similitudes of the past, and those of the future;
The glories strung like beads on my smallest sights and hearings—
on the walk in the street, and the passage over the river;
The current rushing so swiftly, and swimming with me far away;
The others that are to follow me, the ties between me and them;
The certainty of others—the life, love, sight, hearing of others....
Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt;
Just as any of you is one of a living crowd, I was one of a crowd;
Just as you are refresh'd by the gladness of the river and the bright flow,
I was refresh'd;
The {NewNew} is an eclectic group of independent artists in the Metro New York area devoted to fostering a creative and supportive environment among its members. The group encourages a spirit of camaraderie through craftsmanship and strives to help its members achieve success on both a personal and professional level. Members come from many different backgrounds and produce fine, handcrafted goods including clothing, home décor, jewelry, accessories, paper goods, bath and body products, toys, and baked goods. Everything is designed and produced locally by the talented artists of The {NewNew}
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