Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MOTHER TO SON, by JAMES LANGSTON HUGHES


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MOTHER TO SON, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Well, son, I'll tell you
Last Line: And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
Alternate Author Name(s): Hughes, Langston
Subject(s): African Americans; Mothers; Negroes; American Blacks


Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpets on the floor -
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now -
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.




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