Whitman's words are on my mind this morning, triggered by an interview on NPR with E.L. Doctorow. Doctorow mentioned being inspired by seeing New York's talk buildings covered in fog leaving only the older buildings visible. He was reminded of the New York of Whitman's time, and now I am pondering Whitman in the contemporary city. His questions about the nation in his 1860 poem "To The States" echo in my head:
I hope that his words from the end of the poem will ring true: "we will surely awake." As a country we need to awaken from our false belief that democracy will run on its own, that people will do anything for freedom. With totalitarianism hanging above our heads, we cannot afford to sleep.
Another question also hangs in my head: can poetry do anything to facilitate change?
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