cLEAVES OF GRASS
“It does not—suggest the
invention—but describes the
growth of an—American English
enjoying a distinct—identity”
—Walt Whitman,
An American Primer
“We find—Whitman
on this occasion—rather
laying—his plans than
undertaking—to perfect them”
—Horace Traubel,
Foreword, An American Primer
___________________
“Fast-forward—to
the 21st Century
and
we see—another revolution that
is
turning the book—industry topsy-turvy
the
transformation—from printed books
to
electronic ones—this revolution
Spearheaded
by—a modern-day Gutenberg
Amazon.com—the pioneer of the e-book
Amazon.com—the pioneer of the e-book
the
Kindle device—for reading it
and
the online—marketplace for
publishing—and
selling it.”
—Gen LaGreca, “The Luddite-Statist
Attacks on Amazon,”
Economics, Society,
and Culture, May 01,
2012
__________________________
Whitman pauses—and looks at
Kindle as new—Leaves of Grass
A language experiment—with
e-words
An attempt to give—the spirit
The body, the man—new words
New potentialities—of speech
An American—cosmopolitan
speech
And the best of America—is
the
Best electronic—cosmopolitanism
This new world—these new
times
These new people—this new
vista
Needs a new Tongue—électronique
Poème électronique—for today
Such a
tongue—will be demanded
By the young
now—they want it
They grew
up—in an e-culture
They won’t
be—satisfied until
Such a new Tongue—is wired
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