Question

Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in an hour. Which way does your beard point tonight?

(I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and feel absurd.)

Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade to shade, lights out in the houses, we’ll both be lonely.

Why does Ginsberg most likely make an allusion to Walt Whitman in this excerpt?
to support Ginsberg and Whitman’s close friendship
to show Ginsberg’s esteem for Whitman and his work
to hint at Ginsberg’s embarrassment at his own behavior
to share Ginsberg’s desire to live during Whitman’s lifetime

Answer 1

to show Ginsberg’s esteem for Whitman and his work

Brief explanation: The line addresses Whitman directly and evokes his persona and themes, signaling admiration and poetic debt rather than friendship, embarrassment, or a wish to live in Whitman’s time. It’s an homage that connects Ginsberg to Whitman’s tradition.