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Our Land by Langston Hughes

We should have a land of sun, Of gorgeous sun, And a land of fragrant water Where the twilight is a soft bandanna handkerchief Of rose and gold, And not this land Where life is cold.

We should have a land of trees, Of tall thick trees, Bowed down with chattering parrots Brilliant as the day, And not this land where birds are gray.

Ah, we should have a land of joy, Of love and joy and wine and song, And not this land where joy is wrong.

Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes [from New Poems], in Selected Poems, Harper & Row, Publishers, New York, NY, 1988 p. 123

Langston Hughes (1902-1967), ‘Tired’, “New Masses”, Vol. 6, #9, Feb. 1931 Source

I don’t know what it is like to be black, but I do know injustice when I see it.

What color Is the face

Of war?

Brown, black, white--

Your face and my face.

Death is the broom

I take in my hands

To sweep the world

Clean.

I sweep and I sweep

Then mop and I mop.

I dip my broom in blood,

My mop in blood--

And blame you for this,

Adding this to the watchlist asap.

The film "Looking for Langston" (1989) by Isaac Julien (re)imagines Langston Hughes' gay exploits. The poet's ghost haunts a 1920s speakeasy/gay bar alongside the spectre of James Baldwin, the voices of Toni Morrison and Stuart Hall, recreations of photos by George Platt Lynes, and queer icons of the Harlem Renaissance, while twink angels-and the shadow of the AIDS crisis-watch over it all.

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. Langston Hughes Or watch as the torrential downpour turns the screens into modern impressionist-pictures at an exhibition. A live gallery with ever changing art….the minutiae, I know I go on and on about it, but, it’s sooo very worth looking for….Joyeux Vendredi, mes amis!

365 Days of Poetry - Day 12: * DREAMS

Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. * Langston Hughes

365 Days of Poetry - Day 42:

*

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

*

Langston Hughes

365 Days of Poetry - Day 45:

*

MOTHER TO SON

Well, son, I'll tell you:

Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

It's had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I'se been a-climbin' on,

And reachin' landin's,

And turnin' corners,

And sometimes goin' in the dark

Where there ain't been no light.

So, boy, don't you turn back.

Don't you set down on the steps.

'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.

Don't you fall now—

For I'se still goin', honey,

I'se still climbin',

And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

*

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes (1902-1967), ‘Tired’, “New Masses”, Vol. 6, #9, Feb. 1931 Source

Langston Hughes (1902-1967), ‘Tired’, “New Masses”, Vol. 6, #9, Feb. 1931 Source

Langston Hughes' poem, "My People"

My English class has been exploring a unit on the Harlem Renaissance. And since Black History Month has been celebrating black achievement for the past few weeks, heres a report on one of my favorite artistic time periods. 

The Harlem Renaissance was a period of artistic and cultural revolution for the African-American community, originating in the NYC neighborhood of Harlem. In the early 20th century, African Americans mass-migrated to the North to escape poverty and racial segregation. They relocated in Northern cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and New York City, searching for jobs and housing. They found social and economic freedom where they came, especially in Harlem, a neighborhood of NYC. Harlem had previously housed rich white people, but low rent and open jobs allowed black migrants to fill the space instead. 

Harlem fostered a new sense of community and identity within the African-American community. During the 1920s, this manifested into a period of significant artistic and literary achievement. Black writers, musicians, and artists found pride in their identity, using their work to celebrate black identity and culture. Though these figures faced obstacles because of their color, and racial bias was common, Harlem of the 20s was a social hotspot for African-Americans. Writers such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston (my personal favorites) wrote extensively on the themes of racism and African-American identity. Musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith shot to fame, performing blues and jazz in Harlem and other cities. They performed in Harlem’s vibrant clubs, a common scene featured in paintings such as Archibad J. Motley’s iconic Nightlife. 

Though these icons, and many more, were able to have successful careers, most black Americans were treated poorly. Down South, Jim Crow laws segregated people based on race, leaving non-whites with fewer rights and opportunities. Northern cities weren’t legally segregated, but many African-Americans faced discrimination and lived in poverty. Change would come over long periods of time. But despite these challenges, African-American art and culture flourished for nearly a decade. Today, this inspiring and influential era would be known as the Harlem Renaissance.