{One of our more interesting assignments in English class this year was to write a poem in the style of Langston Hughes' "Let America Be America Again." This is the first installment of my response to the assignment.}
Hey there, baby, lying in the bed,
Who put that brilliant brain in your head?
Who told you that you could have all the world?
Who gave you that beautiful string of pearls?
(You don’t see past perfection, do you?)
Hey there, superstar, studying the skies,
What luck of genes gave you those eloquent eyes?
What determination gave you the trophy
That you remember you won in your times of great need?
(I am not as perfect as you think.)
Hey there, drifter, wandering the halls,
How can you rise while all others fall?
Given the choice of remorse or the chase
You’d lose everything if you could win just first place.
(I’m just a symbol of cold-hearted achievement –
Over the smoking embers of a life once spent
In misery – do you see that in me?)
Hey there, now, don’t be shy
Are you that one who ran across the sky?
Are you the one who changed,
So that you wouldn’t be under nobody’s claim?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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2 comments:
Oh no you di'in't
take my suggestion and put this poem up, that is
Now that you have a poetry blog, you're one of the cool kids! Congratulations!
hm...is this another williams person?
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