Monday, April 28, 2008

Oh I Love Gay Poetry! Walt Whitman's "We Two Boys Together Clinging" From Calamus

Okay, so you'll have to forgive me, but there are only three days left in our GLBTQ Poetry celebration, and I have one more poem by Walt Whitman that I just have to share:

WE TWO BOYS TOGETHER CLINGING

We two boys together clinging
One the other never leaving
Up and down the roads going, North and South excursions making,
Power enjoying, elbows stretching, fingers clutching,
Arm'd and fearless, eating, drinking, sleeping, loving,
No law less than ourselves owning, sailing, soldiering, thieving, threatening,
Misers, menials, priests alarming, air breathing, water drinking, on the turf or the sea-beach dancing,
Cities wrenching, ease scorning, statutes mocking, feebleness chasing,
Fulfilling our foray.


Yeah.

Check out my other posts on Walt Whitman's poetry here.

Also, check out the glbtq.com page on his life and writings here.

Namaste,

Lee


I found this poem on page 95 of "Complete Poetry and Selected Prose by Walt Whitman" edited by James E. Miller, Jr.

3 comments:

Rita said...

Really, really lovely.

Kathe Koja said...

This is probably my favorite Whitman poem of all time - the strong, fresh, tender energy of it just knocks me out every time I read it. Thank you much, Lee, for posting.

Anonymous said...

Hi there! Just a note to say that I want to thank you for this. I read this poem in high school, the acne-stained kid in the back of the library, amid the dusty books. And it saved me. It showed me that I wasn't the only one. And I typed in "We two boys together clinging" and I found this page. Thank you for bringing me back to one of my first crucial moments of self-understanding and acceptance. Namaste and a blessing on you.