When Walt Whitman wrote O Captain! My Captain! his thought processes where about a nation that was battered and nearly broken. A war split apart brothers, the death of Abraham Lincoln and an uncertain direction after so much loss.

Whitman’s pain is on display as he saw so much which caused so much death and despair in a country he loved.

I’m not necessarily the person who should be talking about poetry, but I like this one. I like its cadence and its heart and that the poem hasn’t lost its power.

The poem is about the heart of patriotism and fearlessness and immense, undeniable grief. I think this poem expresses agony over the loss of a public servant who was a reluctant, yet determined leader just as about as good as anything I’ve ever read.

In 2012, are we looking for a Captain that emotionally resonates with us? That feels us with desire and an inherent need to do better for those generations that lie ahead?

In the noise of this generation, do we want a Captain to lead not just nationally but locally and statewide? Are we willing to open our minds to the differences we have and find the similarities? Are we willing to be led or do we lead, and the big question is will anyone hear us if we try?

We use words now as weapons in this country and policies that hurt regular people, devaluing their self-worth in many cases. There are times that this word soup hurts people so deeply that they lose their voices as they see basic rights taken away from them, and that is what certain organizations in this country want. What is an action-forcing event? Are we willing to let this happen and I might add again in just a matter of months?

Whitman knew that we were not a disposable nation and that we needed to mourn our losses to heal. We need to be reminded that through grief and chaos, there is opportunity.