Shameless I

O Me! O Life!...of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless--of cities fill'd
with the foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself,
(for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light--of the objects mean--
of the struggle ever renew'd;
Of the poor results of all--of the plodding
and sordid crowds I  see around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest--
with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O Me! so sad, recurring--
What good amid these,
O Me, O Life?

Answer:

That you are here--that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

-Walt Whitman, "O Me, O Life!"