Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, IS IT BECAUSE I AM BLACK?, by JOSEPH SEAMON COTTER JR.


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

IS IT BECAUSE I AM BLACK?, by                    
First Line: Why do men smile when I speak
Last Line: Is it because I am black?
Subject(s): African Americans; Negroes; American Blacks


Why do men smile when I speak,
And call my speech
The whimperings of a babe
That cries but knows not what it wants?
Is it because I am black?

Why do men sneer when I arise
And stand in their councils,
And look them eye to eye,
And speak their tongue?
Is it because I am black?





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net