Mother to Son
Well, son, I’ll tell you
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor —
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now —
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
~~
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
from The Weary Blues, 1926
[Poem is in the public domain in Canada and the United States]
Langston Hughes biography
"Mother to Son" read by Viola Davis Courtesy Youtube.
The video just outstanding George Dance, very moving, well done, highlights, enhances the poem immensely. I felt the poem in the pit of my stomach while watching the video.
ReplyDelete"I'se. (nonstandard) Contraction of I is, meaning I am (or other senses of be)." Wiktionary
African American vernacular/dialect.
"Langston Hughes (1901-67) was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance in New York in the 1920s. Over the course of a varied career he was a novelist, playwright, social activist, and journalist, but it is for his poetry that Hughes is now best-remembered." Dr. Oliver Tearle
I often, when writing leave off the 'g' when using 'ing'. Or use words, such as, 'kinda' or 'sorta', 'spose, 'tis, etc. Poetry being an expression of our experience, an expression of each unique individual poet. 💟💟💟💟💟💟