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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE TROPICS IN NEW YORK by CLAUDE MCKAY

Poem Explanation Poet Analysis

First Line: BANANAS RIPE AND GREEN, AND GINGER ROOT
Last Line: I TURNED ASIDE AND BOWED MY HEAD AND WEPT.
Subject(s): FRUIT; NATURE; NEW YORK CITY; MANHATTAN; NEW YORK, NEW YORK; THE BIG APPLE;

Bananas ripe and green, and ginger-root,
Cocoa in pods and alligator pears,
And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit,
Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs,

Set in the window, bringing memories
Of fruit-trees laden by low-singing rills,
And dewy dawns, and mystical blue skies
In benediction over nun-like hills.

My eyes grew dim, and I could no more gaze;
A wave of longing through my body swept,
And, hungry for the old, familiar ways,
I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.




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