LANGSTON HUGHES
THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.
I’ve known rivers:
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
…..
I DREAM A WORLD
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn.
…..
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom’s way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
…..
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
…..
Where wretchedness will hang its head,
And joy, like a pearl,
Attend the needs of all mankind.
Of such I dream–
Our world!
…..
I, TOO, SING AMERICA
I, too sing America.
I am the darker brother
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
…..
Tomorrow,
I’ll eat at the table
When company comes.
No body’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
…..
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed–
I, too, am America.
_____
PHILIP APPLEMAN
GOD’S GRANDEUR
When they hunger and thirst and I send down a famine,
When they pray for the sun, and I drown them with rain,
And they beg me for reasons, my only reply is:
I never apologize, never explain.
…..
When the angel of death is a black wind around them
And children are dying in terrible pain,
Then they burn little candles in churches, but still
I never apologize, never explain.
…..
When Christians kill Jews, and Jews kill the Muslims,
And Muslims kill writers they think are profane,
They clamor for peace, or for reasons , at least,
But I never apologize, never explain.
…..
When they wail about murder, and torture and rape,
When unlucky Abel complains about Cain,
And they ask me why I had planned it like this,
I never apologize, never explain.
…..
Of course, if they’re smart, they can figure it out_
The best of all reasons is perfectly plain.
It’s because I just happen to like it this way_
So I never apologize, never explain.
_____
GWENDOLYN BROOKS
THE POOL PLAYERS-WE REAL COOL
WE REAL COOL, WE
Left school, We
Lurk late, We
Strike straight, We
Sing sin, We
Thin gin, We
Jazz June, We
Die soon.
_____
STERLING A. BROWN
SOUTHERN COP
Let us forgive Ty Kendricks
The place was Darktown. He was young.
His nerves were jittery. The day was hot.
The Negro ran out of the alley.
And so Ty shot.
…..
Let us understand Ty Kendricks
The Negro must have been dangerous
Because he ran;
And here was a rookie with a chance
To prove himself man.
…..
Let us condone Ty Kendricks
If we cannot decorate.
When he found what the Negro was running for,
It was all too late;
And all we can say for the Negro is
It was unfortunate
…..
Let us pity Ty Kendricks
He has been through enough,
Standing there, his big gun smoking,
Rabbit- scared alone,
Having to hear the wenches wail
And the dying Negro moan.
_____
JOYCE KILMER
TREES
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
…..
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
…..
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
…..
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
…..
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain
…..
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
_____
RUDYARD KIPLING
IF
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
…..
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too;
…..
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
…..
If you can dream- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
…..
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build’em up with worn -out tools:
…..
If you can make one heap of all your winnings;
And risk it on one turn of pitch- and- toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
…..
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them : “Hold on!”
…..
If you can walk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you but none too much;
…..
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it,
And which is more–you’ll be a MAN , my son!
_____
AL YOUNG
CONJUGAL VISITS
By noon we’ll be deep into it–
up reading out loud in bed.
Or in between our making love
I’ll paint my toenails red.
…..
Reece say he got to change his name
from Maurice to Malik.
He think I need to change mine too.
Conversion, so to speak.
…..
I ain’t no Muslim yet,” I say.
“Besides, I like my name.
Kamisha still sounds good to me.
I’ll let you play that game
…..
“I’d rather play with you,” he say,
“than trip back to the Sixties.”
“The Sixties, eh?” I’m on his case.
“Then I won’t do my striptease.”
…..
This brother look at me and laugh;
he know I love him bad
and, worse, he know exactly how
much loving I ain’t had.
…..
He grab me by my puffed up waist
and pull me to him close.
He say, “I want you in my face.
Or on my face, Miss Toes.”
…..
What can I say? I’d lie for Reece,
but I’m not quitting school.
Four mouths to feed, not counting mine.
Let Urban Studies rule!
…..
I met him in the want ads,
we fell in love by mail.
I say, when people bring this up,
“Wasn’t no one up for sale.”
…..
All these Black men crammed up in jail,
all this I.Q. on ice,
while governments, bank presidents,
the Mafia don’t think twice.
…..
They fly in dope and make real sure
they hands stay nice and clean.
The chump-change Reece made on the street
–what’s that supposed to mean?
…..
“For what it costs the State to keep
you locked down, clothed and fed,
you could be learning Harvard stuff,
and brilliant skills,” I said.
…..
Reece say, “Just kiss me one more time,
then let’s get down, make love.
Then let’s devour that special meal
I wish they’d serve more of.”
…..
They say the third time out’s a charm;
I kinda think they’re right.
My first, he was the Ace of Swords,
which didn’t make him no knight.
…..
He gave me Zeus and Brittany;
my second left me twins.
This third one ain’t about no luck;
we’re honeymooners. Friends.
…..
I go see Maurice once a month
while Moms looks after things.
We be so glad to touch again,
I dance, he grins, he sings.
…..
When I get back home to my kids,
schoolwork, The Copy Shop,
ain’t no way Reece can mess with me.
They got his ass locked up.
_____
WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY
INVICTUS
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
…..
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
…..
Beyond this place of wrath and tears,
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
…..
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
_____
AMIRI BARAKA (LeROI JONES)
SOMEBODY BLEW UP AMERICA
_____
ALEXANDER POPE
FROM AN ESSAY ON CRITICISM
A little learning is a dangerous thing
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring
There, shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
But drinking largely sobers us again.
…..
Tired at first sight with what the muse imparts,
In fearless youth we tempt the heights of arts
While from the bounded level of our mind
Short views we take nor see the lengths behind.
…..
But more advanced behold with strange surprise,
New distant scenes of endless science rise!
So pleased at first the towering Alps we try,
Mount o’er the vales and seem to tread the sky,
…..
The eternal snows appear already passed
And the first clouds and mountains seem the last.
But those attained, we tremble to survey
The growing labors of the lengthened way
The increasing prospect tires our wandering eyes ,
Hills peep o’er hills and Alps on Alps arise!
_____
PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR
IN THE MORNING
‘Lias! ‘Lias! Bless the Lawd!
Don’ you know the day’s abroad?
If you don’ get up, you scamp,
There will be trouble in this camp,
Think I gwine to let you sleep
While I makes your board and keep?
That’s a pretty howdy-do–
Don’ you hear me, ‘Lias—you?
…..
Bet if I come cross this floor
You won’t find no time to snore.
Daylight all a-shinin’ in
While you sleep—w’y it’s a sin!
Ain’t the candle light enough
To burn out without a snuff,
But you go the mo’nin through
Burning up the daylight too?
…..
‘Lias , don’ you hear me call?
No use tu’nin to’rds the wall;
I can hear the mattuss squeak;
Don’ you hear me when I speak?
Dis here clock done struck off six—
Ca’line, bring me dem ah sticks!
Oh, you down, suh; huh, you down—
Look here, don’ you dare to frown.
…..
March yo’se’f an ‘ wash yo’ face,
Don’ you splattah all de place;
I got somep’n else to do,
‘Sides jes’ cleanin’ aftah you.
Tek dat comb an’ fix yo’ haid—
Looks jes’ lak a feddah baid.
Look here, boy, I let you see
You sha’n’t roll yo’ eyes at me.
…..
Come here; bring me dat ah strap!
Boy, I’ll whup you till you drap;
You done felt yo’se’f too strong,
An’ you sholy got me wrong.
Sit down at dat table thaih;
Jes’ you whimpah ef you daih!
Evah mo’nin’ on dis place,
Seem like I mus’ lose my grace.
…..
Fol’ yo’ han’s an’ bow yo’ haid—
Wait until de blessin’ ‘s said;
“Lawd, have mussy on ouah souls—“
(Don’ you daih to tech dem rolls—)
“Bless de food we gwine to eat—“
(You set still— I see yo’ feet;
You jes’ try dat trick agin!)
“Gin us peace an’ joy. Amen!”
…..
COMPENSATION
Because I have loved so deeply,
Because I had loved so long,
God in His great compassion
Gave me the gift of song.
…..
Because I have loved so vainly,
And sung with such faltering breath,
The Master in infinite mercy
Offers the boon of Death.
_____