I AM the Body Electric

School is starting.

Contemporary Literature assignment is due.

Done and checked.

There are some other assignments coming up: American (History) Literature; Moral Values in Education and Learning and Behaviour Problems in School Children.

Right in top of it... sigh. There is seemingly no rest for me.

I must be one of them 'wickeds'.

We'll be doing Walt Whitman's poetry from Leaves of Grass for American Literature next week. I once sang a choir version of his �O Captain, My Captain� when I was with the Singapore Armed Forces' Choir Corp. It's a nice and sophisticated piece of poetry and all, but I assure you it's a whole different ball game trying to SING it.

Let's just say we were all glad when the public recital was over - it was at the Victorian Concert Hall. Ironically, commanding officers of the members' various units were special invited guests of honor. I wonder if Ms Babes Condes, our choir mistress chose that piece as a tongue in cheek; or did she have a hidden agenda...?

Doing my own research on Whitman, I think he's a swell character, full of intrigue and interesting ideas. Tracy Chapman once sang,

 

�	If you knew that you would be alone Knowing right, being wrong,
	Would you change? Would you change?	�

I'd like to think that Whitman was such a person; I aspire to be one too. But it takes a lot of strength and courage to do that. For one thing, you're gonna be alone doing it. But then again, John Lennon also said,

 

�

you may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one.

�

And then he went on hopefully,

 

�

I hope someday You'd join us And the world will be as ONE.

�

Anyway, here's a little snapshot of Whitman in a satiric 'music video' of some the more controversial aspects of his personality.

 

Click here to view video in full size