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Gwendolyn Brooks Short Poems

Famous Short Gwendolyn Brooks Poems. Short poetry by famous poet Gwendolyn Brooks. A collection of the all-time best Gwendolyn Brooks short poems


by Gwendolyn Brooks
 I shall not sing a May song.
A May song should be gay.
I'll wait until November
And sing a song of gray.

I'll wait until November
That is the time for me.
I'll go out in the frosty dark
And sing most terribly.

And all the little people
Will stare at me and say,
"That is the Crazy Woman
Who would not sing in May."



by Gwendolyn Brooks
 We real cool. We
Left School. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.

by Gwendolyn Brooks
 Now who could take you off to tiny life 
In one room or in two rooms or in three 
And cork you smartly, like the flask of wine 
You are? Not any woman. Not a wife. 
You'd let her twirl you, give her a good glee 
Showing your leaping ruby to a friend. 
Though twirling would be meek. Since not a cork 
Could you allow, for being made so free. 

A woman would be wise to think it well 
If once a week you only rang the bell.

by Gwendolyn Brooks
 Maud went to college.
Sadie stayed home.
Sadie scraped life
With a fine toothed comb.

She didn't leave a tangle in
Her comb found every strand.
Sadie was one of the livingest chicks
In all the land.

Sadie bore two babies
Under her maiden name.
Maud and Ma and Papa
Nearly died of shame.

When Sadie said her last so-long
Her girls struck out from home.
(Sadie left as heritage
Her fine-toothed comb.)

Maud, who went to college,
Is a thin brown mouse.
She is living all alone
In this old house.


Book: Reflection on the Important Things