A newly discovered poem by Langston Hughes

Someone discovered the new poems, written on the cover of a book, by Langston Hughes, and they were also found to be simple yet radical. Hughes’ lyrical poetry had the charm and political protest inherent in it. Here is the one from his newly discovered poems. silently written somewhere, maybe purposefully! Enjoy !

You and your whole race.

Look down upon the town in which you live

And be ashamed.

Look down upon white folks   

And upon yourselves   

And be ashamed

That such supine poverty exists there,

That such stupid ignorance breeds children there

Behind such humble shelters of despair—

That you yourselves have not the sense to care

Nor the manhood to stand up and say

I dare you to come one step nearer, evil world,

With your hands of greed seeking to touch my throat, I dare you to come one step nearer me:

                        When you can say that

                        you will be free!

 YOU AND YOUR WHOLE RACE by LANGSTON HUGHES

Source: Poetry (January 2009)

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Let’s carry some food home in winter!

Let’s buy some groceries from this shopkeeper, a bottle of milk, an egg, a candy, a loaf of bread!

How would you like to eat them? one by one! Where will you store them? in your refrigerator! In your wooden box! Do whatever you wish, It’s all up to you!

But enjoy this poem today by Margaret Atwood, published in 1969, with the title, “Carrying home food in winter.”

I walk uphill through the snow

hard going

brown paper bag of groceries

balanced low on my stomach,

heavy, my arms stretching

to hold it turn all tendon.

Do we need this paper bag

my love, do we need this bulk

of peels and cores, do we need

these bottles, these roots

and bit of cardboard

to keep us floating

as on a raft

above the snow I sink through?

The skin creats

islands of warmth

in winter, in summer

the islands of coolness.

The mouth performs

a similar deception.

I say I will transform

this egg into a muscle

this bottle into an act of love.

This onion will become a motion.

this grapefruit

will become a thought.

Margaret Atwood

19th Century 20th Century Adventure Africa American Asia Booker British Literature Children Classic contemporary Crime Detective Drama Essays fantasy French Literature German Literature Gothic Historical Fiction Horror Humor India Indian Literature magical realism Memoir Music Mystery Nature Netgalley Nobel Prize Non Fiction Novel Novella Philosophy Play Poetry Race Romance Russia Russian Literature School Short Stories War Women