Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THESE ALSO ARE LIVING, by CARLOS BULOSAN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THESE ALSO ARE LIVING, by                    
First Line: After the dreary walk and the tinsel city
Last Line: Why are you sobbing profusely? We too are hungry.


After the dreary walk and the tinsel city
That thrusts its tongue hollowly into the night;
After the crowded streets and the tenement houses,
Where the lost and the dying flash mocking eyes
With indelicate movements, waiting for death;
After the flight of water-soaked steps and dark halls,
The uneven door and the cold room above the stairs,
The anger in your face settles down -- suddenly --
Your lips tremble as we look into the street below
Where hungry men are passing into the night, moving
Close to the buildings for warmth and comfort.
These are also living men, thrown as we are thrown
Into the troubled room of earth, crying for bread.
Their continuous procession into the dark streets
Lifts a stabbing arrow of pity, striking your eyes,
Pushing a nervous wave through your rain-soaked body.
Why are you sobbing profusely? We too are hungry.





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