To a stranger

     In my opinion, the poem "To A Stranger" by Walter Whitman seems like it's not just about a specific person but that there's more to it. I think that the poem was about reincarnation. Whitman didn't have a specific religion, his spirituality was said to be his own, but many of his theories and ideas came from Christianity. Even though his spirituality was based on Christianity, the writer of this article http://saulsamandashane.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/how-did-walt-whitman-feel-about-reincarnation/ says that Whitman was a believer of reincarnation. 

     For example, in this poem he says,"I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you," it seems like he has never met the stranger before but he remembers their spirit, like reincarnation. It also has a line that says,"All is recall'd as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate,

chaste, matured," chaste meaning to refrain from sexual activity. From this line, he has some memory of the person's spirit. Maybe he and a stranger were connected some way in a past life and seeing the stranger brought back memories and familiar feelings. He definitely felt a connection with this stranger that he has felt before and it seems like there was some type of love between them. That is what I think of the poem when I read it.