Journal: Walt Whitman

My favorite poem by Walt Whitman is To a Stranger. This poem is short but includes elaborate ideas about Walt Whitman's belief of self.
In his poem To a Stranger, Walt Whitman talks about brief encounters that he has with people and how they can create a relationship. He wrote about how strangers have the opportunity to become good friends. The narrator can create a past with a stranger with his or her imagination. The narrator imagines having a past relationship with people and creates opportunities with them of the future. He imagines enjoying things with them romantically. Walt Whitman believes strongly that strangers can only look at each other and act on their impulses. He writes with the hope that you never know when the next stranger you meet might be your soul mate.
I find this poem very interesting. I am always thinking about strangers and how they could influence my life. When you think about it, all of your friends were once strangers. Your best friend who influenced you to do something could have changed your life forever. All of this from a stranger. From this poem I assume that Walt Whitman met many strangers and tried to create relationships with them.
Passing by people in a bookstore, I always smile. You never know when the stranger you are just meeting could become a life long friend. Just by smiling, you create a friendly environment that may draw some one to be interested in you.
I find that a lot of people are interested in how a stranger could affect your life, but never really talk about it because it may seem a bit creepy or desperate. Keeping this urge to talk to strangers when you find them interesting is something that is best kept private with one's self. I think that this is part of the magic and the mystery of strangers. You never know when a stranger you meet could possibly become a lifelong friend, or in Walt Whitman's case, a lover.

Whitman, Walt. "To A Stranger." Love Poem. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.thedatingadvisor.com/love-poem-to-a-stranger.html>.