I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes

 

 

I, Too, Sing America   by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I'll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody'll dare

Say to me,

"Eat in the kitchen,"

Then.

Besides, 

They'll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

You know I have to rub it in

All of my students are calling me

Up to tell me I was right

But they don’t know

That I had no idea

For the past years these college students

Would listen to my tales from the past

And they would be envious

I told them

My daughters, my sons, my students

Don’t worry

They would see even more than I did

Then came 911

I didn’t predict that but I knew some thing was coming

Now Obama

And a new call to service

It’s different from my time

And now I tell them

Thank god

You don’t have to march

And ride

And be found dead in the ditches like so many

You can get involved

Change your world

Change the world

Its amazing time

Black folks are crying and crying

And these tears are cleaning us

And the country

Our blood sweat and tears help to build this country

We have more invested in this country than almost any group

And we have come in from the cold

The bastard children of America

Now have become America

I have never been so proud to be an American

I will now fly a flag in my window

And dare any one to ask why

Its mine

I own it now

Technorati Tags: langston hughes,it too sing america,obama