Poems List
Explore poems from our collection
August
August
'Blomsten dufter, for at brydes!
Frugten modnes, for at nydes!
-Lev og nyd! trara! trara!'
*
Ja, Øieblikket ene er det jus…
From The Philosopher’s Stone
From The Philosopher’s Stone
Now she heard the following words sadly sung,—
“Life is a shadow that flits away
In a night of darkness and woe.”
Young Afrikans
Young Afrikans
of the furious
Who take Today and jerk it out of joint
have made new underpinnings and a Head.
Blacktime is time f…
April
April
'- Frihed, synger Du, April!
med nyfødt Grønt og Sommer-Smiil.'
*
(Strandveien).
En ung Herre (til Hest).
O, Ap…
to the Diaspora
to the Diaspora
you did not know you were Afrika
When you set out for Afrika
you did not know you were going.
Because
you did not know …
We Real Cool
We Real Cool
The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strik…
the vacant lot
the vacant lot
Mrs. Coley’s three-flat brick
Isn’t here any more.
All done with seeing her fat little form
Burst out of the basement door;
An…
the sonnet-ballad
the sonnet-ballad
Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?
They took my lover's tallness off to war,
Left me lamenting. Now I cannot guess
What I can…
the rites for Cousin Vit
the rites for Cousin Vit
Carried her unprotesting out the door.
Kicked back the casket-stand. But it can't hold her,
That stuff and satin aiming to enfol…
The Lovers of the Poor
The Lovers of the Poor
arrive. The Ladies from the Ladies' Betterment League
Arrive in the afternoon, the late light slanting
In diluted gold bars across…
The Independent Man
The Independent Man
Now who could take you off to tiny life
In one room or in two rooms or in three
And cork you smartly, like the flask of wine
Yo…
The Crazy Woman
The Crazy Woman
I shall not sing a May song.
A May song should be gay.
I'll wait until November
And sing a song of gray.
I'll wai…
The Ballad of Rudolph Reed
The Ballad of Rudolph Reed
Rudolph Reed was oaken.
His wife was oaken too.
And his two good girls and his good little man
Oakened as they grew.
The Blackstone Rangers
The Blackstone Rangers
I
AS SEEN BY DISCIPLINES
There they are.
Thirty at the corner.
Black, raw, ready.
Sores in the city …
Primer For Blacks
Primer For Blacks
Blackness
is a title,
is a preoccupation,
is a commitment Blacks
are to comprehend—
and in which you are
to per…
Sadie and Maud
Sadie and Maud
Maud went to college.
Sadie stayed home.
Sadie scraped life
With a fine toothed comb.
She didn't leave a tangle in…
Of Robert Frost
Of Robert Frost
There is a little lightning in his eyes.
Iron at the mouth.
His brows ride neither too far up nor down.
He is splendid.…
My Dreams, My Works, Must Wait Till After Hell
My Dreams, My Works, Must Wait Till After Hell
I hold my honey and I store my bread
In little jars and cabinets of my will.
I label clearly, and each lat…
Kitchenette Building
Kitchenette Building
We are things of dry hours and the involuntary plan,
Grayed in, and gray. "Dream" mate, a giddy sound, not strong
Like "rent", "feed…
Garbageman: The Man With The Orderly Mind
Garbageman: The Man With The Orderly Mind
What do you think of us in fuzzy endeavor, you whose directions are
sterling, whose lunge is straight?
Can you …
A Penitent Considers Another Coming of Mary
A Penitent Considers Another Coming of Mary
For Reverend Theodore Richardson
If Mary came would Mary
Forgive, as Mothers may,
And sad and sec…
A Sunset of the City
A Sunset of the City
Already I am no longer looked at with lechery or love.
My daughters and sons have put me away with marbles and dolls,
Are gone from …
Vitam Impendere Amori
Vitam Impendere Amori
(Vitam Impendere Amori: To Threaten Life for Love)
Love is dead within your arms
Do you remember his encounter
He’s dea…
She did not scream.
She did not scream.
She stood there.
But a hatred for him burst into glorious flower,
And its perfume enclasped them--big,
Bigger than all magnolias.