Whalt Whitman and other stories...

I am a fan of the American poet Walt Whitman. He is best described as the father of free verse but was stylistically the transition between transcendentalism and realism. He has a tendency to be rather jingoistic but I am more interested in his struggle to identify himself within his own poems. It is argued by scholars but it is generally agreed upon that he was gay. He wrote at a point in time in history- 18th century America - where one could be killed for being that much less write about it. He is not so overt but there is much controversy for its heavy sexual content. What I find most appealing about him however was that he could make the stylistic transition from the carefully orchestrated mount of words into pursuing his desires through free verse. He did so by removing those lines that defined traditional poetry to speak through his words. He began to say what he felt he was denied to say thus transforming how the medium of poetry was used. I have always been attracted to writings that touched on transcendentalism attempting to discover the great mysteries of metaphysics (beyond the physical) , that venturing into the individual struggle to understand it. I started my initial efforts in writing with that in mind. Sometimes they appeared as contrived affectations of other styles. I did see myself though the evolution of finding a more personal voice and that can be identified in my later poems which became more like conversations. I believe I was following a similar path as Whitman who felt the need to speak honestly about what he was feeling without the formal trappings of allusion to convey his inner emotions. Certainly I admire all poetry whatever perspective or style. It is an important step in finding one's own 'voice' which should be based on an honesty from self. It could also be a point of healing which I have indicated that many artists have broken the silence to heal their pain -much of the things I have said about breaking cycles of abuse. Mine was more a self destruction against self love and acceptance. It is a point of departure which I may now begin to develop fully with confidence a writing style that is personal to me. I think if I were to be honest I think I love writing a little more than my visuals but that is a hard decision to make. What has been wonderful about this experience in self discovery is that I was able to integrate both as each demanded the interpretation of the other - the lofty transcendental understandings operating in my mind combined with the simplicity of my art. As for my unfortunate incident the other day about our racial divisions. I am confident that the world and the Bahamas has progressed beyond this petty ignorance and both Black and white are more educated now to see their way clearer ahead of this...peace and love...