Nature
I Hear It Was Charged Against Me
From Leaves of Grass
I hear it was charged against me that I sought to destroy institutions,
But really I am neither for nor against institutions,
(What indeed have I in common with them? or what with the
destruction of them?)
Only I will establish in the Mannahatta and in every city of these
States inland and seaboard,
And in the fields and woods, and above every keel little or large
that dents the water,
Without edifices or rules or trustees or any argument,
The institution of the dear love of comrades.
Cite this poem
MLA
Whitman, Walt. “I Hear It Was Charged Against Me.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/whitman/61/.
Chicago
Whitman, Walt. “I Hear It Was Charged Against Me.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/whitman/61/.
Read this poem with the Codex →