A Woman Waits for Me

    Yet all were lacking if sex were lacking， or if the moisture of

    the right man were lacking.

    Sex contains all， bodies， souls，

    Meanings， proofs， purities， delicacies¹， results， promulgations，

    Songs， commands， health， pride， the maternal² mystery， the

    seminal³ milk，

    All hopes， benefactions， bestowals， all the passions， loves，

    beauties， delights of the earth，

    All the governments， judges， gods， follow'd persons of the

    earth，

    These are contain'd in sex as parts of itself and justifications⁴

    of itself.

    Without shame the man I like knows and avows⁵ the

    deliciousness of his sex，

    Without shame the woman I like knows and avows hers.

    Now I will dismiss myself from impassive women，

    I will go stay with her who waits for me， and with those

    women that are warm-blooded sufficient for me，

    I see that they understand me and do not deny me，

    I see that they are worthy⁶ of me， I will be the robust⁷

    husband of those women.

    They are not one jot⁸ less than I am，

    They are tann'd in the face by shining suns and blowing

    winds，

    Their flesh has the old divine suppleness⁹ and strength，

    They know how to swim， row， ride， wrestle¹⁰， shoot， run，

    strike， retreat， advance， resist， defend themselves，

    They are ultimate in their own right——they are calm， clear，

    well-possess'd of themselves.

    I draw you close to me， you women，

    I cannot let you go， I would do you good，

    I am for you， and you are for me， not only for our own

    sake， but for others' sakes，

    Envelop'd in you sleep greater heroes and bards¹¹，

    They refuse to awake at the touch of any man but me.

    It is I， you women， I make my way，

    I am stern， acrid¹²， large， undissuadable， but I love you，

    I do not hurt you any more than is necessary for you，

    I pour the stuff to start sons and daughters fit for these

    States， I press with slow rude muscle，

    I brace¹³ myself effectually， I listen to no entreaties¹⁴，

    I dare not withdraw till I deposit what has so long

    accumulated within me.

    Through you I drain the pent-up rivers of myself，

    In you I wrap a thousand onward¹⁵ years，

    On you I graft¹⁶ the grafts¹⁷ of the best-beloved of me and

    America，

    The drops I distil¹⁸ upon you shall grow fierce and athletic¹⁹

    girls， new artists， musicians， and singers，

    The babes I beget²⁰ upon you are to beget babes in their turn，

    I shall demand perfect men and women out of my love-

    spendings，

    I shall expect them to interpenetrate with others， as I and

    you interpenetrate now，

    I shall count on the fruits of the gushing²¹ showers of them， as

    I count on the fruits of the gushing showers I give now，

    I shall look for loving crops from the birth， life， death，

    immortality²²， I plant so lovingly now.