Miracles by Walt Whitman

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend March 27, 2016   Miracles   Walt Whitman

Why, who makes much of a miracle? As to me I know of nothing else but miracles, Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky, Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water, Or stand under trees in the woods, Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any           one I love, Or sit at table at dinner with the rest, Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car, Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon, Or animals feeding in the fields, Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air, Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and           bright, Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring; These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles, The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.   To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle, Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same, Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.   To me the sea is a continual miracle, The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the ships             with men in them, What stranger miracles are there?            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   “Miracles” was first published in Whitman’s Leaves of Grass (Fowler & Wells, 1856) as “Poem of Perfect Miracles.” It appeared in this revised form during his lifetime in the 1881 edition published by James R. Osgood and Company.   Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, and 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. He died on March 26, 1892. Poetry by Whitman   Leaves of Grass (Penguin Classics, 1981) "Sailing to Byzantium" by W. B. Yeats "Beyond the Years" by Paul Laurence Dunbar "It's all I have to bring today (26)" by Emily Dickinson Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends.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