I hope to fulfill a number of desires in this post.
I must hold the memory of promise
I hope to have made a small contribution to the celebration of Black History Month in the United States.
I celebrate my love of the 20th-Century American poet Langston Hughes. Many Americans are familiar with Langston Hughes. At one time, there was an unwritten law that every schoolchild in America had to be familiar with “I, Too.” One day, every schoolchild in America will be familiar with the poem “Freedom’s Plow.”
I am pleased to introduce our readers to the American poet Kevin Young. Someone shared his poem “Ode to Pepper Vinegar” with me in 2009, and it was love.
Leonard Cohen, in the poem “Thousands,” indicted himself as a fake poet. Was he attempting to deceive, or merely mistaken? I’m not quite sure. But I mention this because I feel the same way when Kevin Young writes “We got no more promise / We only got ain’t.” I’m here to tell you that promise resides in Kevin Young and others.
If I were to add a verse to this poem, I would write
Mr. Dreamer of a World
Your hand on Freedom’s Plow,
Tell us how we look to you
Better then, or now?
I must hold the memory of promise. We have a ways to go to get to the world of which Langston Hughes dreamed.
I give you the poem “LANGSTON HUGHES” by Kevin Young.
LANGSTON HUGHES
LANGSTON HUGHES
LANGSTON HUGHES
O come now
& sang
them weary blues —
Been tired here
feelin low down
Real
tired here
since you quit town
Our ears no longer trumpets
Our mouths no more bells
FAMOUS POET© —
Busboy — Do tell
us of hell —
Mr Shakespeare in Harlem
Mr Theme for English B
Preach on
kind sir
of death, if it please —
We got no more promise
We only got ain’t
Let us in
on how
you ’came a saint
LANGSTON
LANGSTON
LANGSTON HUGHES
Won’t you send
all heaven’s news
This poem appeared in the book To Repel Ghosts.
What is heaven’s news? I’m not quite sure. All I know is I must hold the memory of promise. I must hold the space for people to become better and stronger than they are now. All I know is if we can’t be strong and good, we can’t be free either.
Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.