Whitman, "Oh Me!, Oh Life!"

Apple has recently developed a commercial that is simply brilliant, and quotes from Whitman's poem, "Oh Me!, Oh Life!".  There is far more going on here than selling IPads.  These lines were penned more than a century ago, and yet, seem so fresh and current to our world.  The questions asked here are deep and profound, and seem more pertinent the older I get.  There is Gospel in the answer to this poem.

O Me! O Life!

By Walt Whitman

Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,

Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,

Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,

Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,

Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

                                       Answer.

That you are here—that life exists and identity,

That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

Sarah Jarosz at the Largo

Last Wednesday night a small group of friends, along with about 200 other happy fans, gathered at The Largo on La Cienega to enjoy the music of Sara Jarosz.  Miss Jarosz has been nominated for two Grammys; we will be rooting for her on Sunday night.  What a great troupe of talented musicians, what a remarkable evening! 

Below is a clip from a concert we missed at The Troubador a year or so ago.....our experience was just as warm and wonderful as this:




And for her encore, Miss Jarosz chose this song by Paul Simon - and for the first time in a long time, I sat in the dark and remembered the long ago joys and disappointments of my youth; thankful for the poets and song makers of those days, and today.