Journal #20: Walt Whitman Part II

"This is the meal equally set, this the meat for natural hunger,
It is for the wicked just the same as the righteous, I make appointments with all,
I will not have a single person slighted or left away,
The kept-woman, sponger, thief, are hereby invited,
The heavy-lipp'd slave is invited, the venerealee is invited;
There shall be no difference between them and the rest."

This passage is from Whitman's "Song Of Myself," which is so much more than a song of Walt Whitman himself, yet also defines him. It seems quite clearly to be an expression of the open acceptance he had of all human beings. If indeed Whitman was who he portrayed himself to be through his poetry, he was quite compassionate, and did not judge people for their supposed flaws.
What I get from the three poems I've read is that he believed all living things are beautiful, and that everything has its purpose and place in the world, and he wished that everyone had more compassion for all living things. He was a sensuous man, and sometimes felt overjoyed, brimming with gratitude for the beauty around him in nature. He was in touch with his sexuality in a way that nobody else dared to be, or admit to be at the time, and he felt the need to express it, sometimes with subtlety and sometimes not... Or he saw sexuality in everything, and to him, it was just understood... and not vulgar or filthy, but lovely and a part of nature. He seemed spiritual for sure... maybe Buddhist. He seemed warm, and without a doubt, passionate.
The passage above is summarized in my head as Whitman saying he does not look at a person's flaws and wish to discredit him. Rather, he wishes to embrace him, and tell him that his flaws make him more human... that his flaws should be celebrated as much as his supposed attributes. Whitman does not pretend to be flawless himself, yet he loves himself, as well as every other living thing. And he also says that deep down, these are the thoughts of every man, whether he admits it or not.
I love the way Whitman infuses music with things. I love the way he infuses sexuality with things, and things with sexuality. I love the way he gets off on tangents with lists of things... I wonder if he ever used to just sit down and make lists. I suppose that's what parts of his poetry are, but the lists are composed of beautiful language. I approached Whitman with a hint of skepticism, remembering that I had read bits and pieces of him as a kid, and didn't think I liked him because he didn't rhyme. I thought I only liked poetry that rhymed. I've changed my mind... and the more I read Whitman, the more I love him. I have a feeling I'll keep reading Whitman for years to come, and keep making my own interpretations of him, and keep drawing what I can from him... and keep getting inspired by him. In a nutshell, I'm a fan.