A Hand Mirror

Hold it up sternly -see this it sends back, (who is it? is it you?)

Outside fair costume, within ashes and filth,

No more a flashing eye, no more a sonorous voice or springy step,

Now some slave's eye, voice hands, step,

A drankard's breath, unwholersome eater's face, venerealee's flesh,

Lungs rotting awaypiecemeal, stomach sour and crankerous,

Joints rheumatic, bowels clogged with abomination,

Blood circulating dark and poisonous streams,

Words babble, hearing and touch callous,

No brain, no heart left, no magnetism of sex;

Such from one look in this looking-glass ere yo go hence,

Such a result so soon - and from such a beginning!

from the series BY THE ROADSIDE

by Walt Whitman

Comments: 13

Cristina S. Sep 18, 2007, 9:08am EDT

good poem!

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John F Walter Sep 18, 2007, 2:22pm EDT

A surprising Whitman poem I don´t recall encountering before. Thanks, Alkistis. The photo of the flower is apt here in contrast.

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Sandy (Minipin Pixels) Sep 18, 2007, 7:14pm EDT

I like it alot. Thanks for sharing.

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Alkistis Wechsler Sep 19, 2007, 5:57am EDT

As I opened my new book with all the poems by Walt Whitman I was attracted by the title. When I read it was like a cold shower over me. I had already decided to be on strawberies diet two days earlier and I go on like that until we travel to Germany to take back my paintings. We shall stay for the night in Lubeck and I will have things to tell you although I did not finish yet with Hamburg. Since I was invited to have my exhibition I started feeling different and put my head up and starting loosing my 'slaves eyes'. What will come out of this process of new transformation I can not predict.

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Karolyn Q. Sep 19, 2007, 2:47pm EDT

Very nice.
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Alkistis Wechsler Sep 20, 2007, 5:09am EDT

Well, karolyn, to call it 'nice' is a bit exagerated but in Wikipedia W.Whitman has been defined as the most rude and the most remarkable American poet. But form time to time a bit of rude exageration it is good towards me. After all, as a Sagitarious, I am not always very diplomatic myself, mostly towards myself.

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Janna O'Donnell Sep 21, 2007, 6:14am EDT

Poor Walt must have been in a bad mood that day. Powerful poem.

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Alkistis Wechsler Sep 29, 2007, 6:57am EDT

Judi it seems to be so. Janna, I agree, I would not read this poem very often.

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Debbie G. Sep 29, 2007, 7:04am EDT

Jolting at such an hour. Alkistis, I am glad you found it . This is one new to me.

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Alkistis Wechsler Sep 29, 2007, 7:12am EDT

Well it is a quite 'hard' hour in the States, but on tis side of the Atlantic is already the very lazy hour of mid day and ten minutes past ...
Yes, after reading the dedication to Whitmann by John beck, i ordered a book in Amazon and now I have all known poems by your best poet and I look in from time to time. I go for the smaller and more personal expressions rather than the very great and dithyrambic.

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Comments: 13

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