Poems
express the trials and triumphs of the human condition with picturesque imagery, relatable metaphors, intense emotions, melodic rhythms and sounds. My love for poetry began in elementary school. I fondly remember reciting and performing the narrative poem, "In the Morning"by Paul Laurence Dunbar for an elementary assembly program about the Harlem Renaissance. Memorizing all 108 lines of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe was
challenging for a 7th grader, but I still remember some of the lines today. As an adult, I enjoy the poetry of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, among other poets. You will regularly find me reading original poems at open mics and virtual poetry readings. Recently, I discovered the poet Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) when I did a random #poetry search on
Facebook. In 1859, Ms. Harper's The Two Offers was published in the Anglo-African Magazine, which is believed to be the first short-story ever published by an African-American writer. Known as the "Mother of African-American Journalism," Ms. Harper was a prolific writer, abolitionist and speaker. Her poetic topics include slavery, religion, civil rights and peace. Let's discuss Ms. Harper's beautiful poem, "Songs for the People"...