"I Heard You Solemn-Sweet Pipes of the Organ"

This poem is incredibly short compared to other Whitman poems. I like that he talks about music in a material sense and then goes on to talk about the music between two bodies. He begins, "I heard you solemn-sweet pipes of the organ as last Sunday morn I pass'd the church." As I read this, I can't help but think of myself hearing the deep, soul searching music that comes from an organ. An organ vibrates with life, filling the listener with its sounds and pulse. An organ can shake a persons core. Toward the end, he says, "Heart of my love! you too I heard murmuring low through one of the wrists around my head." Here you have two bodies intertwined - one could hear the others heart beat and feel the rhythmic pulse that thuds and thuds, races and slows. 

This poem is also a part of Children of Adam, so I think Whitman was trying to set the scene by first arriving in front of the church - a holy place of worship. The reader feels good about hearing the sounds of the organ, then we move on to two bodies. I think Whitman wanted the connection of church and physical love. He's once again encouraging his belief that if we could just get back to that "pure" state--there would be happiness.

Music creates a connection for many people. I love music--all different types. I would find the vibrating hum of an organ fascinating.  I think there is a truth to music, and I think there is also a truth to the music between two people. Our feelings guide us in our endeavors. A song playing on the radio makes us stop and think back to some moment in time. Music creates connections. Whitman's music is timeless. He seems to stay steadfast and true to his beliefs, which I find commendable. What was fascinating over 100 years ago, is still fascinating today. He might not get the shock factor he did back then, but he still has our attention and that is what is most important.