When I get to be a composer
I'm gonna write me some music about
Daybreak in Alabama
And I'm gonna put the purtiest songs in it
Rising out of the ground like a swamp mist
And falling out of heaven like soft dew.
I'm gonna put some tall tall trees in it
And the scent of pine needles
And the smell of red clay after rain
And long red necks
And poppy colored faces
And big brown arms
And the field daisy eyes
Of black and white black white black people
And I'm gonna put white hands
And black hands and brown and yellow hands
And red clay earth hands in it
Touching everybody with kind fingers
And touching each other natural as dew
In that dawn of music when I
Get to be a composer
And write about daybreak
In Alabama.
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Comments
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loved this fine piece
Langston's metaphor is so wonderful. I only hope that I can someday understand his work a little more than I do now. There is so much hope and faith in this one that I will read it again and again.
His political views should be set aside and his works should be read as they are - art from an artist. What if you didn't know his persuasion but just his word pictures and comments on the world as he sees it. Incidentally, there are others who share the feelings in his poetry -
I like how the poem just flows and how you just feel the humidity of the South by just reading this poem. I love how the feel in the poem is that of the true South. I love Langston Hughes's poetry, and this one is one of my new favorites.
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This is lyrical, moving with the melodies of a natural scene in Southern moods. Ah! I simply love this poem. When we used this in "Lovingly Yours; Langston & Lorraine", the poem that followed was "I want to Live" by Lorraine Hansberry. These two artists were friends and often inspired by one another. The imagery in this piece is outstanding!
Renee
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