As I see and hear the various responses to the marathon that is the USA Presidential Election I wonder what that means. I am not an expert on anything, let alone politics. However, we can all recognise, even in some small way, the longings in the hearts and minds of our fellow travelers. As I think on this, my wonder alights on the various North American literary figures who have passed through my hands, eyes, mind and heart. I was drawn to this handsome edition of Walt Whitman‘s ‘Leaves of Grass’ (San Diego: Canterbury Classics, 2015).
The quote countersunk into the back cover reminds us that what can affect you, can affect me and, indeed, so many others.
Poets and other literary persons can assist us at times when we find ourselves searching. Perhaps it re-awakens a search in you. You may also enjoy ‘I Just Realized’ by ‘The Bookshelf of Emily J.’
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Simon's still stanza 
One of my favorites. I first read it in literary class in high school. That was an electric year. I met Whitman, Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Buck, Dickinson, Bronte. Thoreau, Wordsworth….it was endless. On top of that I took an Introduction to Shakespeare course. “Would that I had not been a 16 year old dreamer with eyes for things I could not have”. I wish I could do it all again and absorb more. They did influence me greatly; for once read, great litearture cannot be forgotten.