POEMS FOR HSC 2.1 "Song of the Open Road" Summary : About the poet: Song of the Open Road, poem by Walt Whitman, first published in the second edition of Leaves of Grass in 1855. Whitman is most known as a poet and essayist, and many modern poets credit his poetry with inspiring and influencing their own works. Theme : Freedom, joy, and optimism are the major themes of this poem. Throughout the poem, the poet encourages the readers to live a free life. • inspirational poem. Free verse poem: The poem utilizes free verse; the lines are unrhymed and of varying lengths. The speaker of the poem is describing a trip on which he is embarking. He describes himself as light hearted means happy and enjoyable.He was free from care . He was optimistic and hopeful. The brown long path is in front of the poet.A road is something everyo...