here's what I do

 I open up the blogger post page and then I stare at it. And then I open up Song of Myself and I just scroll. Don't sit down and read the dang thing from the start to the finish. The start is really good though. Read the start. But I don't think it's very fun to read Walt Whitman line by line. There's a lot going on in this thing. But also there's nuggets. I just look for nuggets. 

Here's a nugget:

Who goes there? hankering, gross, mystical, nude;

How is it I extract strength from the beef I eat?

Incredible. Incredible line. How many of the Walt Whitman Big 4 do you possess? 

Hankering. Gross. Mystical. Nude. 

At my peak. At my absolute peak. Like a handful of times in my whole life I've been all 4 at once.

Usually I'm hovering at around one. 

And then the follow up line? How is it I extract strength from the beef I eat?

To be clear this is the whole stanza. These two lines. A perfectly self-contained gem of the written word.

I need to meditate on these lines and will report back later.

Snacks is doing fine. Same size. No pain.