Sunday, March 9, 2014

the common air


This is the grass that grows wherever the land is and the water is,
This the common air that bathes the globe.
1891 edition on the Whitman Archive


I have been so fortunate to have “two” Walt Whitman courses online running at the same time ─ deeply looking at Leaves of Grass line by line. My understanding, appreciation and, yes, love of Whitman has grown immensely. The quote is just a couple of lines that seem to speak directly to me.


The Whitman courses are from Harvard through EdX and the University of Iowa in their Open Courses project. I also love the Modern & Contemporary Poetry course from the University of Pennsylvania---which I have taken two years running and plan to enroll again in the fall. Check out these amazing, and free, offers if you are interested in expanding your knowledge of poetry (or almost any other thing you can think of!)

 Note: I used this photo in February, 2013. It is just one of my favorites and seems appropriate to use again for Walt's quote.
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3 comments:

  1. BarbMarch 11, 2014 at 11:03 AM

    HI Duff, Sounds like you've been busy (in a good way). I must look into those courses. I just finished one from U of A which was very informative - I like the convenience of learning without being on campus. I thought maybe you ran out and took a photo when you had rain a week or so ago. The droplets are like gems.

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    1. DuffMarch 12, 2014 at 7:38 PM

      I did get some decent water drop pictures in our brief period of rain. But, didn't have one with grass in it....mostly sparkly spider webs and flowers with a touch of moisture. Glad to know you are doing the online courses, too. It is really wonderful for me.

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  2. susanvgMarch 23, 2014 at 2:21 PM

    Thanks for the tips about online courses. I stopped by your blog via Barb. Beautiful photo!

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