"Spontaneous Me" & "One Hour to Madness and Joy"

"The loving day, the mounting sun, the friend I am happy with, The arm of my friend hanging idly over my shoulder, The hillside whiten'd with blossoms of the mountain ash, The same late in autumn, the hues of red, yellow, drab, purple, and light and dark green,"

"Spontaneous Me" is full of sexual innuendo, lust, procreation, and taking what we want, but there is another aspect here that Whitman surfaces when he begins....details. I think there is always a story in the details. Whitman glorifies nature as he paints a vivid picture for the reader to see. How can you (the reader) have negative thoughts of spontaneity when you read about the beauty that surrounds this poem. I am enveloped by bold, bright color. I see the sun above the sky--shining brightly. I can't take Whitman to task for his obsession with sex because he has surrounded it in the beauty of nature. I think this was definitely done on purpose. "Spontaneous Me" is amongst a collection of poems he created called Children of Adam. The setting of this poem makes me think back to the Garden of Eden - the beauty, the simple life, nature and man embracing each other. Whitman wanted us to return to a time without shame. I think this has to do with his belief in democracy--equality and unity. If mankind could get back to their roots then maybe, just maybe we could live up to Whitman's expectations. 

"The consequent meanness of me should I skulk or find myself indecent, while birds and animals never once skulk or find themselves indecent."  Animals are spontaneous. Nature is spontaneous. I think Whitman had moments when he didn't want to deal with the consequences of his actions. He wanted to be free of any psychological burden. I think Whitman was jealous/envious of nature's freedom. He wraps his beliefs up in a pretty little package, but really he wants permission to be impulsive. In "One Hour to Madness and Joy," Whitman says, "To feed the remainder of life with one hour of fulness and freedom! With one brief hour of madness and joy." If you could be spontaneous for one hour, would it be enough to tide you over for the rest of your life? Whitman wanted this chance to step out of his role as responsible brother/businessman/son - he wanted the chance to give into his more basic desires. He wanted to be himself - for one hour, without shame. 

An hour wouldn't be enough for me. I wouldn't want to spend my life looking back at 60 minutes, wishing for a life I couldn't have. "To have the feeling to-day or any day I am sufficient as I am." He didn't feel he was enough. He contained multitudes, he sung the songs of American patriotism, he gave a voice to Americans, he had an ego the size of Alaska, yet he didn't think he was enough. With one brief hour of madness and joy wasn't going to fix him. He wanted the bonds of brotherhood because he wanted someone to talk to, he wanted someone to share his innermost soul with. This is what's in the story, lost in the details. "The arm of the friend hanging idly over my shoulder..." He wanted understanding, as we all do. I hope he received it before the end.