Walt Whitman was the only nominee in this category who was not a Louisianian. But the three months that he spent in New Orleans in 1848 proved to be very fruitful for him.
Already an experienced newspaper editor at 27, Whitman was hired to help start up The New Orleans Crescent. He traveled from New York City to New Orleans by riverboat, train, and stagecoach, finding lodging in the “American Quarter.”
Whitman immersed himself in the atmosphere of the city’s bustling docks and French Market, with their vibrant mix of races, nationalities, and languages. His tastebuds swooned over the local coffee, biscuits, and cocktails. But at the same time, he was horrified by the reality of the slave auctions taking place just blocks from his boardinghouse.
Finding his bosses difficult to work with, Whitman quit after three months to head back north. Until then, his poetic efforts had been mediocre, and he had struggled to repress his homosexuality. But then came “the dramatic change in Whitman after the New Orleans trip, his sexual awakening, and the inspiration for the first edition of Leaves of Grass (1855),” in the words of author Maverick M. Harris.
Whitman began writing in the free verse, long-lined style that was unlike anything else in nineteenth-century poetry. Hatred of slavery and delight in the human body became significant themes of his work.
The winning poem was written about a decade after his time in Louisiana, looking back to a memorable encounter. Reading it, one can imagine the brawny, bearded poet gazing at a brawny, bearded live oak tree and feeling a momentary shock of recognition. Not only the vigor and vitality of the tree, but its solitariness stamped a lasting image onto Whitman’s consciousness.
Whitman saw the tree as a symbol of what would happen if he chose loneliness and celibacy over emotional intimacy and “manly love.” He ended his poem by declaring that while the tree could be content to live its life “without a friend or lover near, / I know very well I could not.” That was a bold move to make in both life and poetry at the time.
Some time back, this state trademarked “Louisiana—Come as You Are. Leave Different” as an official advertising slogan. What better illustration could be found than Walt Whitman, who left here with his senses awakened and left us this memorable poem in return?
Julie Kane, the current Louisiana Poet Laureate, is a native of Boston who has lived in Louisiana for thirty-six years. Her award-winning poetry collections include Jazz Funeral (2009) and Rhythm & Booze (2003).
Other nominees were:
“Getting Rid of the Accent” by Sheryl St. Germain “My Father’s Love Letters” by Yusef Komunyakaa “New Orleans” by Everette Maddox “On Louisiana Politics”by Gail White
