Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, POEM, by HELENE JOHNSON


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

POEM, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Little brown boy / slim, dark, big-eyed
Last Line: You are.
Subject(s): African Americans; African Americans - Children; African Americans - Women; Negroes; American Blacks


Little brown boy,
Slim, dark, big-eyed,
Crooning love songs to your banjo
Down at the Lafayette
Gee, boy, I love the way you hold your head,
High sort of and a bit to one side,
Like a prince, a jazz prince. And I love
Your eyes flashing, and your hands,
And your patent-leathered feet,

And your shoulders jerking the jig-wa.
And I love your teeth flashing,
And the way your hair shines in the spotlight
Like it was the real stuff.
Gee, brown boy, I loves you all over.
I'm glad I a jig. I'm glad I can
Understand your dancin' and your
Singin', and feel all the happiness
And joy, and don't-care in you.
Gee, boy, when you sing I can close my ears
And hear tomtoms just as plain.
Listen to me, will you, what do I know
About tomtoms? But I like the word, sort of,
Don't you? It belongs to us.
Gee, boy, I love the way your hold your head,
And the way you sing and dance,
And everything.
Say, I think you're wonderful. You're
All right with me.
You are.




Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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