Queereaders discussion

It's been a very long time since I've read Whitman and in general I don't read a lot of poetry, except for some favorites that took on special meaning for me for various reasons. I don't seek out new poetry.

I think I have enjoyed reading about Whitman's poems more than the poems themselves. They seem simple and obvious to me though some certainly touch on my Gay and American sensibilities. I feel them more as a heritage than something that deeply affects me emotionally. I'm not sure that makes sense?

I don't consider Milton poetry, rather verse of a form used in his day. If you're a fan of Blake, I'd suggest Whitman seems to too obvious or simple.

To me Leaves of Grass is one great big,wordy love letter to life/nature/the universe/ and...sex. I'm not as interested in all of his stargazing and raving about the American landscape as the way he none too subtly comes across as a robust bear adept at the art of cruising. He seemed to have had no problem finding male "companions" in his buttoned down era. Good for him; he must've been quite a character. I have chuckled aloud at some of his thinly veiled allusions to a night in the sack with a hot lad. Have to love a man who celebrates "the body electric".