Through the use of simple diction, Whitman is able to cross both time and distance and connect with his readers as few other poets can. His mastery of verbiage draws readers into the poem as few other poets can. In “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” Whitman creates a vignette about the Brooklyn of the past and connects it to the present, albeit in surprising ways. Whitman's omnipresence allows the reader to imagine himself in the settings he created and interpret them in a modern language. By creating a path through cities of the past, Whitman connects with his readers in a fascinating and deeply personal way. Whitman's mastery of language is evident in the poem's narrator's ability to speak directly to those who will read his poem, long after he is dead. Whitman's evident delight in nature is so great and awe-inspiring that he is able to cross time and share his experiences with those who will come long after him through the use of images of landmarks that he believed resisted test of time. In 1849, Whitman reflected on this in his poem "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," about the durability of the Croton Reservoir, located between Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue, when he describes the sight of a sunset over the water and the colors that the rays of light they create. “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is divided into nine sections or “chapters.” The first five lines of the first "chapter" begin with an allusion to some of the physical phenomena Whitman encountered such as high tide, the scene of clouds in the western sky, and the scene of the busy crowd on the ferry, and "thou who shall cross from one bank to the other in a few years" (ISCED). The short opening stanza introduces the main themes of the poem... middle of the paper... the man pleads for the multitude of natural phenomena he has already mentioned: the tides and waves, the clouds, the current and future ferry passengers , the masts of ships. Manhattan and the hills of Brooklyn, the ships and the seabirds to continue doing what they do best, their natural activities. This recapitulates the poem's major themes and Whitman's conscience that connects him to future generations and separates him from his present. Without being separated from the whole, Whitman would have no individual consciousness or ability to search for the complex connections he creates in his poetry. As he says in the last four lines: We use you and do not cast you aside - we plant you permanently within us, we do not understand you - we love you - there is perfection in you too Supply your parts to eternity, Big or small, provide your parts to the soul (CITE).