November 1: Presidential Election, Poet of the Week, Walt Whitman, "For You O Democracy"

One week until the presidential in the United States.  Seven days until, hopefully, the insanity ends and some kind of normalcy returns.  Of course, that is predicated on who actually wins next Tuesday.

In honor of this exercise in democracy, I have chosen Walt Whitman as Poet of the Week.  Whitman, poet of wordless, voice of the voiceless.  He saw the country at its worst, torn apart by slavery, war, and racism.  And he wrote about it, beautifully.

Saint Marty finds some comfort in his words right now.

For You O Democracy

by:  Walt Whitman

Come, I will make the continent indissoluble,

I will make the most splendid race the sun ever shone upon,

I will make divine magnetic lands,

                   With the love of comrades,

                      With the life-long love of comrades.

I will plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America, and along the shores of the great lakes, and all over the prairies,

I will make inseparable cities with their arms about each other’s necks,

                   By the love of comrades,

                      By the manly love of comrades.

For you these from me, O Democracy, to serve you ma femme!

For you, for you I am trilling these songs.