Whoever you are holding me now in hand,
Without one thing all will be useless,
I give you fair warning before you attempt me further,
I am not what you supposed, but far different.
Who is he that would become my follower?
Who would sign himself a candidate for my affections?
The way is suspicious, the result uncertain, perhaps destructive,
You would have to give up all else, I alone would expect to be your
sole and exclusive standard,
These lines are preparatory for the next stanza, in which the speaker lays out an argument against becoming his “follower”: 
 1) The path is long, hard, and “suspicious” (that’s what she said) 2) Things may end in a catastrophic ball of tears and flames 3) You’d lose yourself and everything you’ve ever known & loved 
 Yet the questions are somehow enticing – a challenge, really.  I mean, everyone falls for those bad boys every now and again, amirite? 
 
 And who doesn’t long for a “God, sole and exclusive”? 
 #PS If RG followers were eggs, I would now have a full dozen.  That’s, like, 6 Eggs Benedicts if you use 2 eggs per Benedict. 
 
 And I’ll have to  fact check , but I’m pretty sure that 12 is just shy of a legion. 
 #Jealous, Whitman??????????
Whoever You Are Holding Me Now in Hand