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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


PORTRAITURE by ANITA SCOTT COLEMAN

Poem Explanation

First Line: BLACK MEN ARE THE TALL TREES THAT REMAIN STANDING
Last Line: BLACK MEN ARE THE TALL TREES THAT REMAIN STANDING IN A FOREST AFTER A FIRE.
Subject(s): AFRICAN AMERICANS; AFRICAN AMERICANS - WOMEN; NEGROES; AMERICAN BLACKS;

Black men are the tall trees that remain standing in a forest after a fire.

Flame strips their branches,
Flame sears their limbs,
Flame scorches their trunks;
Yet stand these trees,
For their roots are thrust deep
in the heart of the earth.

Black men are the tall trees that remain standing in a forest after a fire.



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