“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. So medicine, law, business, engineering... these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love... these are what we stay alive for.” -- esteemed American poet and essayist Walt Whitman (5/31/1819 - 3/26/1892), from his landmark epic "Leaves of Grass." Thought of as the "father of free verse" and America's "first national poet," Whitman influenced and was revered by countless writers and poets, including Oscar Wilde, Ezra Pound, Langston Hughes, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.
(photo: Matthew Brady)
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