Favorite Poem

Dear You,

I've always found this soothing effect in poetry, a whimsical and sometimes clarifying take on a generally vague concept from the color of a wheelbarrow to the purpose of life. As a writer I find great inspiration in poetry but I usually lean towards the clearly purposed poems over trying to find deeply hidden meaning. One of the one's I've found great solace in lately is this particularly beautiful one. Lately it's been on an Apple commercial but it has to be one of my all time favorites. Here's the poem:

O Me! O Life! by Walt Whitman

"Oh Me! Oh Life! Of the questions of these recurring,

Of the endless trains of the faithless, and 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 may contribute a verse."

I relate to it so much, teenage years are the ultimate peak of self discovery and I often think about the purpose of my life and everyone's lives and every time I think about the verse I contribute or impact I have on the play that is life. Even among all of the sadness in the world, the foolishness and wastefulness, this gives me hope. The fact of life and identity alone are blessings and the ability humans are given to impact the world is a wonder and miracle. 

The poem feeds my optimistic view and keeps me at ease when the world bears down in that heavily depressing way. When life seems pointless or lets me down I just remember "contribute a verse", I think I can consider it a mantra by now. I want my verse to be huge and memorable but even if it isn't, even if I completely fail and contribute nothing huge to the world, I want my contribution or my legacy to be one of kindness. 

So those are some of my life views, what do you think of the poem? Leave me a comment below! I'd love to know your views

Have an Amazing Day!

Mia Brielle