I have been remiss. I queried here why Brian would prefer not to be Walt Whitman on the Poetry quiz. I just now discovered he answered on his blog, (I was buying a truck this weekend you see):
I don't find his poetry very vivid. Certainly, most of it seems to have a point, which Whitman doesn't hide. As a matter of fact, he pretty much delivers a non-rhyming lecture with line breaks.
Take a minute to read the rest of his explanation. I'll wait.
I really can't claim my selection is my favorite Whitman poem, because I haven't read all his work. I do understand the gist of Brian's preference for a different style. So, I'm thinking "image or other sensory material" now:
Trees have fallen cross the land
Been transformed to printed page
Combined their weight I can't withstand
Yet must engage, the war they wage
Appearing lifeless at first glance
I fear there's more than meets the eye
Mounds and mounds induce a trance
They multiply, They multiply
My desk I once could find, no more
Enveloped by the rising tide
No longer can I see the floor
In you my plot I will confide
I will reclaim what once was free
Insidious, the plan I hatch
Armed against the processed tree
I light the match, I light the match
An admittedly paltry effort, especially when compared to Brian's sonnet which was nicely done.