Selected Poems of Langston Hughes (5 page)

But softly

As the tune comes from his throat

Trouble

Mellows to a golden note.

Monroe’s fell on evil days—

His woman and his friend is dead.

Monroe’s fell on evil days,

Can’t hardly get his bread.

Monroe sings a little blues,

His little blues is sad.

Monroe sings a little blues—

My woman and my friend is dead
.

They done took Cordelia

Out to stony lonesome ground.

Done took Cordelia

To stony lonesome,

Laid her down.

They done put Cordelia

Underneath that

Grassless mound.

    Ay-Lord!

          Ay-Lord!

               Ay-Lord!

She done left po’ Buddy

To struggle by his self.

Po’ Buddy Jones,

Yes, he’s done been left.

She’s out in stony lonesome,

Lordy! Sleepin’ by herself.

    Cordelia’s

           In stony

                Lonesome

                       Ground!

Must be the Black Maria

That I see,

The Black Maria that I see—

But I hope it

Ain’t comin’ for me.

Hear that music playin’ upstairs?

Aw, my heart is

Full of cares—

But that music playin’ upstairs

Is
for me.

Babe, did you ever

See the sun

Rise at dawnin’ full of fun?

Says, did you ever see the sun rise

Full of fun, full of fun?

Then you know a new day’s

Done begun.

Black Maria passin’ by

Leaves the sunrise in the sky—

And a new day,

Yes, a new day’s

Done begun!

I went down to the river,

I set down on the bank.

I tried to think but couldn’t,

So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!

I came up twice and cried!

If that water hadn’t a-been so cold

I might’ve sunk and died.

    
But it was

    
Cold in that water!

    
It was cold!

I took the elevator

Sixteen floors above the ground.

I thought about my baby

And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!

I stood there and I cried!

If it hadn’t a-been so high

I might’ve jumped and died.

    
But it was

    
High up there!

    
It was high!

So since I’m still here livin’,

I guess I will live on.

I could’ve died for love—

But for livin’ I was born.

Though you may hear me holler,

And you may see me cry—

I’ll be dogged, sweet baby,

If you gonna see me die.

    
Life is fine!

    
Fine as wine!

    
Life is fine!

I’ve been scarred and battered.

My hopes the wind done scattered.

Snow has friz me, sun has baked me.

    Looks like between ’em

    They done tried to make me

Stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’—

    But I don’t care!

    
I’m still here!

I went to the Gypsy’s.

Gypsy settin’ all alone.

I said, Tell me, Gypsy,

When will my gal be home?

Gypsy said, Silver,

Put some silver in my hand

And I’ll look into the future

And tell you all I can.

I crossed her palm with silver,

Then she started in to lie.

She said, Now, listen, Mister,

She’ll be here by and by.

    
Aw, what a lie!

I been waitin’ and a-waitin’

And she ain’t come home yet.

Something musta happened

To make my gal forget.

Uh! I hates a lyin’ Gypsy

Will take good money from you,

Tell you pretty stories

And take your money from you—

But if I was a Gypsy

I would take your money, too.

My old mule,

He’s got a grin on his face.

He’s been a mule so long

He’s forgot about his race.

I’m like that old mule—

Black—and don’t give a damn!

You got to take me

Like I am.

Listen, Kid Sleepy,

Don’t you want to run around

To the other side of the house

Where the shade is?

It’s sunny here

And your skin’ll turn

A reddish-purple in the sun.

    Kid Sleepy said,

    
I don’t care
.

Listen, Kid Sleepy,

Don’t you want to get up

And go to work down-Town somewhere

To earn enough

For lunches and car fare?

    Kid Sleepy said,

    
I don’t care
.

Or would you rather,

Kid Sleepy, just

Stay here?

    
Rather just

    
Stay here
.

I wish the rent

Was heaven sent.

Awake all night with loving

The bright day caught me

Unawares—asleep.

“Late to work again,”

The boss man said.

“You’re fired!”

So I went on back to bed—

And dreamed the sweetest dream

With Caledonia’s arm

Beneath my head.

Wine-maiden

Of the jazz-tuned night,

Lips

Sweet as purple dew,

Breasts

Like the pillows of all sweet dreams,

Who crushed

The grapes of joy

And dripped their juice

On you?

No use in my going

Downtown to work today,

    It’s eight,

    I’m late—

And it’s marked down that-a-way.

Saturday and Sunday’s

Fun to sport around.

But no use denying—

Monday’ll get you down.

That old blue Monday

Will surely get you down.

It’s such a

Bore

Being always

Poor.

    
Mama, please brush off my coat

    
I’m going down the street
.

Where’re you going, daughter?

    
To see my sugar-sweet
.

Who is your sugar, honey?

Turn around—I’ll brush behind.

    
He is that young man, mama
,

    
I can’t get off my mind
.

Daughter, once upon a time—

Let me brush the hem—

Your father, yes, he was the one!

I felt like that about him.

But it was a long time ago

He up and went his way.

I hope that wild young son-of-a-gun

Rots in hell today!

    
Mama, dad couldn’t be still young
.

He
was
young yesterday.

He
was
young when he—

Turn around!

So I can brush your back, I say!

Little Julie

Has grown quite tall.

Folks say she don’t like

To stay home at all.

Little Julie

Has grown quite stout.

Folks say it’s not just

Stomach sticking out.

Little Julie

Has grown quite wise—

A tiger, a lion, and an owl

In her eyes.

Little Julie

Says she don’t care!

What she means is:

Nobody cares

Anywhere
.

Her great adventure ended

As great adventures should

In life being created

Anew—and good.

    
Except the neighbors

    
And her mother

    
Did not think it good!

Nature has a way

Of not caring much

About marriage

Licenses and such.

    
But the neighbors

    
And her mother

    
Cared very much!

The baby came one morning,

Almost with the sun.

    
The neighbors—

    
And its grandma—

    
Were outdone!

But mother and child

Thought it fun.

I went back in the alley

And I opened up my door.

All her clothes was gone:

She wasn’t home no more.

I pulled back the covers,

I made down the bed.

A
whole
lot of room

Was the only thing I had.

When you turn the corner

And you run into
yourself

Then you know that you have turned

All the corners that are left.

It looks like to me

My good-time days done past.

Nothin’ in this world

Is due to last.

I used to play

And I played so dog-gone hard.

Now old age has

Dealt my bad-luck card.

I look down the road

And I see a little tree.

A little piece down the road.

I see a little tree.

Them cool green leaves

Is waitin’ to shelter me.

O, little tree!

It was that lonely day, folks,

When I walked all by myself.

My friends was all around me

But it was as if they’d left.

I went up on a mountain

In a high cold wind

And the coat that I was wearing

Was mosquito-netting thin.

I went down in the valley

And I crossed an icy stream

And the water I was crossing

Was no water in a dream

And the shoes I was wearing

No protection for that stream.

Then I stood out on a prairie

And as far as I could see

Wasn’t nobody on that prairie

Looked like me.

It was that lonely day, folks,

I walked all by myself:

My friends was right there with me

But was just as if they’d left.

Oh, that last long ride is a

Ride everybody must take.

Yes, that last long ride’s a

Ride everybody must take.

And that final stop is a

Stop everybody must make.

When they put you in the ground and

They throw dirt in your face,

I say put you in the ground and

Throw dirt in your face,

That’s one time, pretty papa,

You’ll sure stay in your place.

You was a mighty lover and you

Ruled me many years.

A mighty lover, baby, cause you

Ruled me many years—

If I live to be a thousand

I’ll never dry these tears.

I don’t want nobody else and

Don’t nobody else want me.

I say don’t want nobody else

And don’t nobody else want me—

Yet you never can tell when a

Woman like me is free!

Play the blues for me.

Play the blues for me.

No other music

’Ll ease my misery.

Sing a soothin’ song.

Said a soothin’ song,

Cause the man I love’s done

Done me wrong.

Can’t you understand,

O, understand

A good woman’s cryin’

For a no-good man?

Black gal like me,

Black gal like me

’S got to hear a blues

For her misery.

Madam could look in your hand—

Never seen you before—

And tell you more than

You’d want to know.

She could tell you about love,

And money, and such.

And she wouldn’t

Charge you much.

A fellow came one day.

Madam took him in.

She treated him like

He was her kin.

Gave him money to gamble.

She gave him bread,

And let him sleep in her

Walnut bed.

Friends tried to tell her

Dave meant her no good.

Looks like she could’ve knowed it

If she only would.

He mistreated her terrible,

Beat her up bad.

Then went off and left her.

Stole all she had.

She tried to find out

What road he took.

There wasn’t a trace

No way she looked.

That woman who could foresee

What
your
future meant,

Couldn’t tell, to save her,

Where Dave went.

I broke my heart this mornin’,

Ain’t got no heart no more.

Next time a man comes near me

Gonna shut an’ lock my door

Cause they treat me mean—

The ones I love.

They always treat me mean.