Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE WHITE CITY, by CLAUDE MCKAY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE WHITE CITY, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: I will not toy with it nor bend an inch
Last Line: Are sweet like wanton loves because I hate.
Alternate Author Name(s): Edwards, Eli
Subject(s): African Americans; Hate; Men; Racism; Negroes; American Blacks; Racial Prejudice; Bigotry


I will not toy with it nor bend an inch.
Deep in the secret chambers of my heart
I muse my life-long hate, and without flinch
I bear it nobly as I live my part.
My being would be a skeleton, a shell,
If this dark Passion that fills my every mood,
And makes my heaven in the white world's hell,
Did not forever feed me vital blood.
I see the mighty city through a mist --
The strident trains that speed the goaded mass,
The poles and spires and towers vapor-kissed,
The fortressed port through which the great ships pass,
The tides, the wharves, the dens I contemplate,
Are sweet like wanton loves because I hate.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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