Poetry on the Page

"I was lying in my cell reading one night, when all the guys came in. I had been working on the prison newspaper and had gotten off work early. When they came in, the word came that a young brother had been rap...

Lucille Clifton (June 27, 1936 – February 13, 2010) was a prolific and widely respected African-American poet. Clifton was the first author to have two books of poetry chosen as finalists for the Pulitzer Pri...

Maya Angelou lived life after life in her 86 years. She was an author, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. However, she...

i am accused of tending to the past as if i made it, as if i sculpted it with my own hands. i did not. this past was waiting for me when i came, a monstrous unnamed baby, and i with my mother's itch too...

After four score years of freedom Our so-called leaders say The the race has made great progress And we face the dawn of day But the day is not quite dawning Millions of my peoples stand Pleading at the b...

If the muse were mine to tempt it And my feeble voice were strong, If my tongue were trained to measures, I would sing a stirring song. I would sing a song heroic Of those noble sons of Ham, Of the gallan...

I am a black woman the music of my song some sweet arpeggio of tears is written in a minor key and I can be heard humming in the night I saw my mate leap screaming to the sea and I/with these hands/c...

Where have you gone with your confident walk with your crooked smile why did you leave me when you took your laughter and departed are you aware that with you went the sun all light and wh...

For my people everywhere singing their slave songs repeatedly: their dirges and their ditties and their blues and jubilees, praying their prayers nightly to an unknown god, bending their knees...

It is said that there was a great deal of anger and even rage in the writings of Jacques Roumain, especially in his poem, "Filthy Negroes" Well, it's like this:we othersnegroesfilthy negroeswe won't take any...