hear that?

building images through sound

I have been rereading “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman with a student this summer. I will probably mention that frequently because I love it so much. This poem is packed with instructions for noticing the world (and interacting with it from a place of love and acceptance).

This week, Y and I were reading the following section and were compelled by the way Whitman creates lists of images/impressions that build a world or atmosphere quickly. He places himself as floating above or in some way porously soaking everything in. Nothing goes unnoticed. It reminds me of Perec’s exhausting of a place, but it is more beautiful and loving.