#Americans #Blacks 1931 October Originally Poetry appeared in issue magazine of the
Oh, silver tree! Oh, shining rivers of the soul! In a Harlem cabaret Six long—headed jazzers play. A dancing girl whose eyes are bold
The ivory gods, And the ebony gods, And the gods of diamond and jade, Sit silently on their temple shelv… While the people
Clean the spittoons, boy. Detroit, Chicago, Atlantic City, Palm Beach.
In the Quarter of the Negroes Where the doors are doors of paper Dust of dingy atoms Blows a scratchy sound. Amorphous jack—o’—Lanterns caper
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
When you turn the corner And you run into yourself Then you know that you have turned All the corners that are left
I am your son, white man! Georgia dusk And the turpentine woods. One of the pillars of the temple f… You are my son!
He glides so swiftly Back into the grass— Gives me the courtesy of road To let me pass, That I am half ashamed
Because my mouth Is wide with laughter And my throat Is deep with song, You do not think
I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the w… flow of human blood in human veins My soul has grown deep like the ri… I bathed in the Euphrates when da…
How still, How strangely still The water is today, It is not good For water
Now dreams Are not available To the dreamers, Nor songs To the singers.
She, In the dark, Found light Brighter than many ever see. She,
When the shoe strings break On both your shoes And you’re in a hurry— That’s the blues. When you go to buy a candy bar
My old man’s a white old man And my old mother’s black. If ever I cursed my white old man I take my curses back. If ever I cursed my black old mot…