Part 4: To A Stranger

   I think that Walt Whitman is talking about a lover but I can't really tell whether its a boy or a girl, since he was known for being attracted to both male and females. I personally think it can be boy from the past, someone he used to care about but couldn't really open up to so he used his imagination.
   The very beginning says " Passing stranger! you do not know how longingly I look upon you, You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me as of a dream,). This line to me means that a passing stranger isn't actually a passing stranger but it was someone that Walt knew, he wanted to get to know more and this person comes in his dreams and thoughts. It isn't clear that this poem is about a girl or a boy but I feel that the poem is secretive so it can be a boy. Back in his day being bisexual maybe wasn't a choice so he had to hide it, but share it without the clear message being read.
   The next lines supporting my thoughts are,  " I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become not yours only nor left my body mine only, You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh as we pass." Walt probably couldn't express himself towards his lover back then because it would be considered wrong, so instead of receiving the pleasure of love the way a man and woman would he got it just by the look of this boy's eyes, face and body when he saw him.
   One of the last lines are " I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone," this line can also explain why this poem would be more about a boy than a girl. If Walt couldn't make conversation with this person, he could at least think about him when he is alone at night.
   Last is my connection to the part that says " I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone," this reminds of me and how before I go to sleep I think about the guy I like all the time even when I'm alone. It helps me sleep honestly and calms me down, that one person can have so much impact on your mind.