Best Dunbar Poems
They wouldn’t let me be White
Oh I wanted to be
Dreams of that Pulitzer haunted me
They said, Sir, you have ten minutes to play
I gave them Milton, Poe and Millay
I stood before that panel
Like I was auditioning for Jesus On judgment day
I belted out those rhymes like Sandburg
Gave them sweet elegant words
I gave them personification and anapest
Gave them Trochee with syllables unstressed
I played those Robert Frost Blues
Those Road less traveled Blues
Those Thomas Hardy
going down on the Titanic Blues-
And they said, Son, You could be the greatest
Since Langston Hughes!
And oh I was out of sight
Switched up / Got Fancy
Moved the stressed syllable
From the middle to the right
But still they wouldn’t let me be White
I had every judge popping their fingers
Moving their heads from left to right
So I took a bow
And smiled up at those lights
I gave them Dickinson, Browning and Keats
Oh I had those White judges on their feet
I played until they saw stars
A judge leaned over and said,
You remind me so much of- What’s his name?
Paul Lawrence Dunbar
I played Eliot I played Cummings
I played Stevens too
I had those White Poets out of their shoes
Oh I lifted them a hundred miles off the ground
But when they came down
They said, You could be the next Sterling Brown
I said, Come on! Get out of town!
I closed that audition with my best Haiku
They said, M.e. Don’t take this wrong we like you
I took a final bow I had performed to their delight
But still they wouldn’t let me be White
Sympathy
BY PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!
Why Do I Write?
You ask me why I sing?
You ask me why I write?
You ask me why I bleed?
What choice have I besides?
I long to fly, to run away
To some safe haven just to play
To see the light of blessed day
And give my longing heart full sway
I want to grasp the star and moon
And live my life; t'will end too soon
And kiss the clouds up in the sky
But here am I, what choice have I?
Why do I sing?
Why do I cry?
Why write of pain
No lullaby?
What choice have I?
I want with zeal to be adored
And I want Fame there at my door
I want IT ALL and so much more
Tell me, is anything for sure?
Why so I beat my wing?
I was born to soar…
Eileen Manassian Ghali
The mystery of words, wisdom of the heart to each
Angelic form, the voice of emotion in verse.
The melody of heart speak in words that feels the
Emotion to express the deepness of feeling in the mind.
Words that connect in the main thoughts.
Thoughts of words flow to the emotion to make meaning,
To the essence that moves, sensitivity inside emotion
Through the words.
The intellectual mind with the knowledge of experience power of
Wisdom transcend to composition to unlock the perfect will of
Words justify hidden truth.
The magnificent power compose words gives roots
Blossom and bring fruits to the heart of humanity.
Love kind words are power to win oneself to transform the
Beauty of inside emotion to one particular individual.
The poetry, words of wisdom comes from inner motives of a
Good heart that gives us privilege to express the hidden
Beauty of thoughts inside mind to put it in words.
The power to dominate inside individual for beauty and
Wonder purpose of life.
© Jocelyn Dunbar
13 May 2006
7:50 AM
The sun is rising, the moon is lighting,
The millions of birds are flying and chirping,
The insects are crawling and does flying.
As long as, the grass are growing, color green and
Flowers bloom and plants grow.
As long as, the ocean roar control by you and
Skies are blue with white cloud beneath it.
The fields creates bushes and thorns,
The mountains and volcanoes still.
As long as, the air I breathe is here and fresh.
The wind blows in any direction creates sweet sound to my ears.
As long as, the trees stand it tall and animals are
Clothed by your affection. The universe are turning in its normal orbit.
The people obey you and not forsaken you.
As long as, our faith burning, yearning and believing in you.
As long as I am standing here, looking up in heaven,
Talking to you, worshiping you, listening to my prayer.
Your power, your love, your forgiveness, your mercy
And grace never ever fail.
As long as, you are the God who rule over all.
You are indeed control the universe. No doubts.
You uses set back to fill us with your love.
You are amazing indeed, an awesome GOD.
By your son Jesus Christ, our saviour and Lord,
And your Holy Spirit with us. We surrender, mark us
Your name in our foreheads and let us do your will. AMEN.
(c) Jocelyn Dunbar-Sumido
28 March 2020
9:05 AM
Lying wonders of Satan trick
Marrying same sex is deception of the evil one.
Satan, the prince of evil, the author of sin.
Satan’s enmity against Christ has been made to
Appear human laws to a false conception to set
Aside the divine law, leading the people to the
Work of deception and ruin.
Look what happened to other countries
Breaking the law of the divine, we see disaster struck
Anywhere, anytime; but punishment appeared
To all who break divine law, all over the universe.
It is a fight between evil and God through human.
We, as a believer of Christ we need to stand in the truth,
Hold on to our faith in spite of, and whatever happens
We will remain faithful to God. Christ the Prince of Life
The Author of our salvation.
The warning of the Lord’s second coming are to be
Prepared to stand before him.
May give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom
And Revelation in the knowledge of God,
The eyes of your understanding being
Enlighten by his word and gives light to your mind
Receive warning, reproof, counsel
And instruction with all power and signs.
God prepare a place for safety,
All who believes in him.
© Jocelyn Dunbar
13 August 2017
11:30 PM
Doing an Irish Jig***
(To the music of The Bothy Band)
——— ———
So early in the morning,
If you looked, you
Couldn’t tell that I
Was really awake,
With my mind mixing
Through an Irish hornpipe jig
Beside pretty Peg
And Tiddie Dunbar.
After meeting in
What seems a dream,
We’re friends now
Here in the Glen.
We click.
We switch and twist.
We swing quickly
Our feet forward
And back, to stir
Along on our route
Corner by corner,
Searching for a feis.
They can’t trail our tracks
On this fine traveling.
Perhaps we’re keeping
A foot to foot over the earth!
————————————————-
(c) sally young Eslinger 10/16/21
Thanks be to God
Talk to the father in heaven, who rule over all.
His name is Yahweh, in English Jehovah.
That he will send his angels to rescue you,
Invite Jesus Christ to be your savior and
Lord of your life. He will wash away the sins and
The dirt of your sins. Ask the Holy Spirit to come
To you he will guide you and show you the way.
These strong energy that rule are the highest
Above all in heaven and in earth. They will
Restore life and save you. Pray, pray, and pray,
Your faith and belief will save you.
Whatever, wherever, whoever, whenever, your situation be,
Prayer works and do miracles.
Believe, what you imagine can be achieved.
When you cling to this strength, only you then experience
The mighty hands of God. No fears of dying,
Of loosing, no worries to think of, because you
Knew he holds and control situation of life.
May this words guide us to the journey of his love to us.
God be with us all.
(c) Jocelyn Dunbar-Sumido
7 January 2020
9.27 AM
From bebop, swing to hip-hops thing
True poets had it best
For there is a rhythm in the soul,
Which they all just had to express
Some could not control
This powerful thing
Was so often put to the test
It began to dawn coming on strong
Within the birth of a thing
Called the Harlem Renaissance
That jazz, that poetic-jazz, of intense birth
Possessing syncopated rhythms
And chronic expression of surreal tunes
That perfected blend of jazz-poetry
Developed into what it is today.
Thanks to poets like Carl Dunbar and Langston Hughes
That jazz, that jazz, that wonderful poetic-jazz
Being bred of pride, lyrical form and grace
Transcended cultural barriers
Readily accepted in the 1950’s by the humane race
Therefore, the mantra had begun to be
So freely expressed within poetic lyrics
To syncopated beats moving on through the 60’s and 70’s
By way of beat poets like Amiri Baraka
Returning strong throughout the 70’s and 80’s
Thanks to artist like Gil Scott-Heron
Oh, snap he was one of the founding fathers
Of spoken word poetry known to youngsters
Borne to free-styling or hitting the beats
On stage or in the streets
Yes, you’ve guessed it, most def its rap
Re-educating the poet in me, thanks to that thing
In which made many a heart sing
As these icons did their thing
Starting with something called modern day jazz-poetry…
Born during the Harlem renaissance and still going strong
Comments: I hope that you have enjoyed this free verse
tribute to some of the greatest modern day
founders of what is known as Jazz-Poetry.
A Prophecy
John Grisham was rejected by 28 publishers
Before he sold “A Time to Kill”
But because he didn’t say “What the hell”
His books have sold over 275 mil.
Maya Angelou was once a whore
But she wanted to write and sing
When haters were speaking she wasn’t listening
And in 1993 she sang before a king.
Paul Laurence Dunbar was the son of a slave
Wrote his brilliant masterpieces at the elevator door
Determined not to listen to the white man because he wanted more
Now he is an example of greatness for the writing poor.
Tyshawn Nicole Knight was once a mental case
She wrote poetry on the floors in the psych ward
But, she never gave up, she struggled and worked hard
Now she is a publisher and her writers have gone far.
I scream for ice cream she shouted until her lungs burned
she was a tomboy with a strawberry birth mark on her cheek
she ran like she owned gumby legs and Popeye arms of steel
never wiped a dish in her life, she was too busy climbing trees
When she was home her tongue would never stop wagging
and the stories that she told took up all of mom's afternoon
She would dig into the fridge for freshly washed strawberries
then ask with a grin " when is the ice cream truck coming? "
"Dishes don't get cleaned by themselves" mom noted
Mr. Dunbar is fixing his truck, its going to take all afternoon
then she would pull out a tub of strawberry ice cream and say
"Dig in and enjoy the taste on your tongue" while Annie smiled
I scream for ice cream shouted a hoyden girl with wild curls
she could really dish it out when she chose to holler
when she came home with a tongue on fire from hot pepper candy
"Dig in, enjoy the cool taste on your tongue " mom said with a grin.
July 5, 2022
Words used : strawberries, dish, tongue, afternoon
Australian by paper
Liberian by blood
Liberia is my motherland
Liberia in my round hips
that they criticis of not being
worthy of "beauty".
Liberia in my big lips
that will forever speak the truth .
Liberia in my ways
Liberia is my ways
They will tell you my country is
bad, it's dangerous, they even
make the mistake of saying
"Africa" is a poor and disgusting
country, forgetting to know its a
damn continent with beautiful
and extraordinary countries.
You can't fool me with your
"white ways", I'm a native
daughter of the most beautiful
land, I value my culture, it runs
through my vines...
lah a there oo
by: Mafata Dunbar
Hello my name is Keith Edward Baucum.
I am a black male who was born on the
day of July 10, 1982.
I'm the youngest out of my mother's seven
children.
I am from Laurinburg North Carolina. I
still live in Laurinburg North Carolina.
My interests are education, poetry, African
American studies, African culture,
literature, visual arts.
My favorite poets are Marcus Garvey,
Phillis Wheatley, Tupac Shakur, Langston
Hughes, Maya Angelou, Paul Laurence
Dunbar, and Countee Cullen.
I would like to publish a book of poems,
stories, quoets, and writings.
I am 31years old and as single as one can
be.
I have no children.
The type of music I like are hip-hop, R&B,
rap, soul music, reggae music, and gospel
music.
I'm a Christian and I'm a black
nationalist
My mailing address is po Box 792
Laurinburg North Carolina 28352
Written by Keith Edward Baucum Aka Red
Seven aka The Brown
Philosopher aka The Green Poet
The Faithful Servant
The gentleness of her being tempt by Satan eyes
The enemy of God. Satan appeals brought out
The worst in her life. In her gentleness, merciful and
Purity thrown into misery. Life unfolding test by
The painful experience, seasons of suffering.
She had a beautiful and wonderful spirit, unaware
By the system of her journey. She had a great soul
Thrown into confusion. Lost, confuse and damage.
Fears linger in her soul. The body mind and spirit
Shattered by hurt, painful, abandoned by affection.
Tears running so deep, eyes black and blue,
Body weak, oppressed.
She wondered and confused, cold and bitten.
The coldness of her life uncontrollable.
The hurt of her emotion, the feeling of abused, depressed.
The memory of the past remained unchained.
In God mercy she was given a strong courage to fullfil his calling.
In the passing time of her life God brought out the best of herself.
She accomplished without hesitation and complain.
God restore her being and her faith. She won the battles
And brought out the best to a person she committed with.
God in glory receiving and declaring the victory to a lost soul.
Her greatest strength is her purity, unselfish.
She is humble in heart. She is very strong.
She learned about life, what it means of forgiving
And forgiveness. A wonderful person. God heals
Her brokenness.
In time soon, God will embrace her in his arms
And welcome her in his Kingdom.
Saying; well done, my child.
© Jocelyn Dunbar
25 March 2017
1:20 AM
She got a good character of being a woman.
She has a strong personality that distinguish
The vital principle of being individual.
The simplicity and beauty she had
Produce the essential element unseen.
The fantastic view of herself is highly important
Taking the responsibility she gave,
Her knowledge and wisdom carry by her
Instinctive nature given by God.
She being a woman had a wonderful
Scene of inside within, a woman of intuition
Nurturing her spirit for being free from
Any disturbing notion. Her body and mind
Had high qualities of matter, meaning to
Contribute and bear life, Wonderful!
That God has a condition to his power to
Administer in life to one beautiful individual.
She had a clean heart to manipulate
People for awakening to their insensibility.
She is fashionable being a mother.
She acknowledge the important of being
Responsible womanhood. She is sensitive
To the reputation of others. She gave affection,
Show respect, worthy of honour, pure and fare action.
She is proud being a woman.
She contribute something worthwhile to the
People whom she inspired.
Her boldness; deep and wide that transformed the current
Beyond what you expected being a woman “Herself ".
© Jocelyn Dunbar
4 March 2003
12:00 Noon
A long journey passing in this two love individual,
The essence that has been gone for a long time to
Be with someone who truly love.
The passing time moves in a different way,
The long rocky road, the wave of every journey
The process of learning of things happening around
Control and uncontrolled by itself. The distance,
The substance, the destiny belong by its journey
That they travel a long experience to
Determine the genuine feeling to someone
That never been change, that never been forgotten,
That never been lost in every step of the way
Turning and circling of time.
Every journey it takes that gives meaning to grow
To become, to recognize the details, to value
The implication of things in the past,
The present and in the future ahead of life.
'Till we meet again, to start a new, to live with you
In a satisfying love and meaning of a good life.
I will embrace the beauty of this journey
Of a TRUE LOVE.
© Jocelyn Dunbar
7 June 2009
1: 34 PM