'I give the yawp barbaric br Of piety and pelf br (Who now reads Herrick?) br br 'And contradict myself br No matter, the verse is large. br My five-and-ten cent shelf br br 'The continent is: my targe br Bigger than Greece. The shock br Of Me exceeds its marge br br 'Myself the old cock br With wind and water wild br (Hell with the privy lock): br br 'I have no woman child; br Onan-Amurikee br My son, alone, beguiled br br 'By my complacency br In priggery to slay br My blind posterity . . .' br br -These words, at dawn of day br In the sleep-awakened mind, br I made Walt Whitman say: br br Wherefore I and my kind br Wear meekly in the face br A pale honeydew rind br br Of rotten-sweet grace; br Ungracefully doating br Great-aunts hanged in lace br br We are: mildly gloating br Dog bones in a trunk br Saved in the attic. . . . br br Floating br Hating king and monk, br The classes and the mass, br We chartered an old junk br br (Like Jesus on his ass) br Unto the smutty corn br And smirking sassafras. br br In bulled Europa's morn br We love our land because br All night we raped her-torn, br br Blue grass and glade. Jackdaws, br Buzzards and crows the land br Love with prurient claws; br br So may I cunning my hand br To clip the increment br From the land or quicksand; br br For unto us God sent br To gloze with iron bonds br The dozing continent- br br The fallow graves, ponds br Full of limp fish, tall br Terrains, fields and fronds br Through which we crawl, and call.