If you aren't very familiar with poetry, you might have the idea that poetry is only about the beautiful things in life. You might think that poets are those people who have their head in the clouds, ignoring the hardships of life.
But that isn't the case. There is more to poetry than just love poems.
One of the poets I really enjoy is Langston Hughes. He died over forty years ago in 1967. But when searching for a good video depiction of one of his poems, I was very moved by this video made by a young teenager.
This is a video of Hughes' poem, "Mother to Son." Hughes mom did not have an easy life. According to wikipedia,
"Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, the second child of school teacher Carrie (Caroline) Mercer Langston and James Nathaniel Hughes (1871–1934).
Hughes's father left his family and later divorced Carrie, going to Cuba, and then Mexico, seeking to escape the enduring racism in the United States. After the separation of his parents, while his mother travelled seeking employment, young Langston Hughes was raised mainly by his maternal grandmother, Mary Patterson Langston, in Lawrence, Kansas. Later, Hughes lived again with his mother Carrie in Lincoln, Illinois. She had remarried when he was still an adolescent, and eventually they lived in Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended high school. The Hughes' home in Cleveland was sold in foreclosure in 1918; the 2.5-story, wood-frame house on the city's east side was sold at a sheriff's auction in February for $16,667."
(Information found here )
Hughes' mom did not have an easy life. But, perhaps from her experience, he wrote this poem that contained beautiful truth.
What have you learned from difficulty which could inspire your own poetry? Comment and tell me or, better yet, write it into a poem!
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