O Me! O Life!

O ME! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the struggle ever renew’d;
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
 

                                                         Answer.

That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.
 

                                                                    -- Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
                                                                   Leaves of Grass

  Why do people write poetry?  What questions is Walt Whitman asking in his poem?   What is your interpretation of his answer?  Why does he use exclamation points?  What do you think Whitman is trying to say about life?   These are some of the questions you will be asking yourselves as you discover the style and meaning of poems written by these three poets who write about life.  By the end of this adventure in poetry you will have read their poems, discovered who they are, and found the "poet" inside yourself.  Get your "creative juices" turning and have fun exploring the world of poetry!