Published Works

Books by Whitman

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To a Common Prostitute.

1BE composed—be at ease with me—I am Walt
Whitman, liberal and lusty as Nature,

Not till the sun excludes you, do I exclude you,

Not till the waters refuse to glisten for you, and the
leaves to rustle for you, do my words refuse to
glisten and rustle for you.

2My girl, I appoint with you an appointment—and I
charge you that you make preparation to be
worthy to meet me,

And I charge you that you be patient and perfect till
I come.

3Till then, I salute you with a significant look, that
you do not forget me.

Distributed under a Creative Commons License. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price, editors.