22LeavesOfGrass_001

Leaves of Grass

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Leaves of Grass was a landmark of queer literature, a book in which – 165 years ago – Walt Whitman self-published pretty openly homoerotic poetry, including his masterpiece “Song of Myself”, which is quoted here. At least that’s what I’m told. I don’t actually read poetry. To me, it just reads like really awkward writing most of the time. But kinda like a color-blind person taking everyone else’s word for it that Mark Rothko’s color-field paintings are quality art, I believe you all that Whitman is a great poet. I’ve just never been able to get into it (or anyone else’s really). But that’s OK, and if someone I love wants to recite poetry to me while I blow him in an open field on a sunny Fall day… I’m happy.

The title lettering on this piece was (probably) done by Whitman himself. It was used on his first edition of the book, and it seems like something he would’ve done himself. I definitely appreciate that, which is why I appropriated it for this piece.

And now, the 7th year of publishing JAQrabbit Tales begins.