A noiseless patient spider by Walt Whitman

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend April 6, 2014   A Noiseless Patient Spider   Walt Whitman

A noiseless patient spider, I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.   And you O my soul where you stand, Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to                      connect them, Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold, Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.           Today's poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   Walt Whitman’s “A Noiseless Patient Spider” was originally part of Whitman's poem “Whispers of Heavenly Death.” It was later published in the 1891 edition of Leaves of Grass.   Walt Whitman is widely considered one of America’s most important poets. He worked as a printer, teacher, and journalist in the New York City area. Whitman composed and updated his seminal work, Leaves of Grass, throughout his entire adult life. Poetry by Whitman   Leaves of Grass (Signet Classic, 2013) "Grasshopper" by Ron Padgett "Testy Pony" by Zachary Schomburg "How Doth the Little Busy Bee" by Isaac Watts Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038