My Grand Entrance - Ode to Langston

Ode to Langston

Well ya'll I'll be the first to say

Life for me ain't been no crystal stair

Ol' folks say if you haven't experienced a tough climb, just keep on living

I know what they mean because life for me ain't been no crystal stair

Its had splits of friendships

Death-filled cracks

And heartache filled tacks

Missing boards and a bare floor

Its been a tough climb

But I can't sit down yet

The stair isn't sturdy enough

So i'm still climbing to the top

That's where the boards are secure

That's where I can sit and rest

So if you haven't experienced a tough climb yet, you just keep on living

But use caution when climbing the stairs

Take it one step at a time

And hold on to the rail

You may get a splinter or two but you keep holding on

Don't try to rush and skip a stair

You don't want to stumble back down to the bottom

And don't be afraid to ask for help if the climb gets hard and you get scared

It takes time to reach the top of the stairs

I'm still climbing and holding on

Despite my life not being a crystal stair

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Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets so I am paying homage to him with this poem. This poem is a modern rendition of his poem "Mother to Son" written back in 1922, but I have titled it Ode to Langston. It is a metaphoric representation of my life and things to be discussed in my blog primarily through my poems but also through regular blog entries.