O Me! O Life!
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill'd with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew'd,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring -- What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
from Leaves of Grass (1892)
Synchronicity: my husband was talking about having recently looked up this poem tonight and I thought, "i should find it and read it again," and then I didn't. But here it is. Synchronicity.
ReplyDeleteSometimes synchronicity scares me. I swear it does.
ReplyDeleteIt scares me, too. So I am trying to research and unravel the mysteries so that in better understanding I will be less fearful. Thanks for these great poems, quotes, posts. Best, Karen
DeleteIt s a strange phenomenon, synchronicity is. Lovely poem.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
As Maya Angelo says, when you don't the whys of life, just give thanks for the rainbow.
ReplyDeleteThink you for that - he certainly had a way of putting it into words - the bleak questions and a hopeful answer
ReplyDelete