tellitslant

Rating: 10

June 26, 2007

I can’t say that I’m a huge poetry fan. I’ve never read a book of poetry, until now. Though my high school was near the Langston Hughes center, I’ve only known a handful of his poems. So, in looking for a David Sedaris book at the library, I ran across this volume. It’s a collection of poems that Hughes himself chose. And they’re sublime. Langston Hughes is, as the title of the book suggests, “a master of American verse.” He writes the ways souls should speak, and cuts through hype and sham to get a clearer picture of reality.

Here’s a sample called “Dream Dust”:

Gather out of star-dust
          Earth-dust,
          Could-dust,
          Storm-dust,
And splinters of hail,
One handful of dream-dust
Not for sale

Or a poem called “Green Memory” that feels eerily relevant today:

A wonderful time — the War:
when money rolled in
and blood rolled out.
          But blood
          was far away
          from here –
Money was near.

Even if you don’t like poetry, invite Hughes in and let him sit on your couch. Perhaps he’ll tell you a story or an insight, and always in verse. And you’ll look back at the evening and remember that you had a great time.

You can view its Amazon detail page by clicking the image above.

« Back to reviews