Poems by Langston Hughes

Poems by Langston Hughes

The New Moon , by Langston Hughes

There’s a new, young moon riding the hills tonight; There’s a sprightly, young moon exploring the...

The Negro Speaks of Rivers, by Langston Hughes

I've known rivers:I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the     flow of human blo...

To a Dead Friend , by Langston Hughes

The moon still sends its mellow lightThrough the purple blackness of the night; The morning star ...

Mother to Son , by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And spli...

Let America Be America Again, by Langston Hughes

Let America be America again.Let it be the dream it used to be.Let it be the pioneer on the plain...

Brass Spittoons, by Langston Hughes

Clean the spittoons, boy.    Detroit,    Chicago,    Atlantic City,    Palm Beach.Clean the spitt...

Jazzonia , by Langston Hughes

Oh, silver tree!Oh, shining rivers of the soul!
In a Harlem cabaretSix long-headed jazzers play.A...

Cross, by Langston Hughes

My old man’s a white old man
And my old mother’s black.
If ever I cursed my white old man
I take ...

I, Too, by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.They send me to eat in the kitchenWhen company come...

My People, by Langston Hughes

Dream-singers, Story-tellers, Dancers, Loud laughers in the hands of Fate—            My People. ...

Dream Variations, by Langston Hughes

To fling my arms wideIn some place of the sun,To whirl and to danceTill the white day is done.The...

Dreams, by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams For if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.
Hold fast to dr...

Harlem, by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?
       Does it dry up
       like a raisin in the sun?
       O...

Harlem, by Langston Hughes

Here on the edge of hellStands Harlem—Remembering the old lies, The old kicks in the back,The old...

Madam and Her Madam, by Langston Hughes

I worked for a woman,She wasn't mean—But she had a twelve-roomHouse to clean.
Had to get breakfas...