I
Sunrise in the Tropics
Sol, Sol, mighty lord of the tropic zone,
Here I wait with the trembling stars
To see thee once more take thy throne.
There the patient palm tree watching
Waits to say, “Good morn” to thee,
And a throb of expectation
Pulses through the earth and me.
Now, o’er nature falls a hush,
Look! the East is all a-blush;
And a growing crimson crest
Dims the late stars in the west;
Now, a flood of golden light
Sweeps acress the silver night,
Swift the pale moon fades away
Before the light-girt King of Day,
See! the miracle is done!
Once more behold! The Sun!
II
Los Cigarillos
This is the land of the dark-eyed gente,
Of the dolce far niente,
Where we dream away
Both the night and day,
At night-time in sleep our dreams we invoke,
Our dreams come by day through the redolent smoke,
As it lazily curls,
And slowly unfurls
From our lips,
And the tips
Of our fragrant cigarillos.
For life in the tropics is only a joke,
So we pass it in dreams, and we pass it in smoke,
Smoke – smoke – smoke.
Tropical constitutions
Call for occasional revolutions;
But after that’s through,
Why there’s nothing to do
But smoke – smoke;
For life in the tropics is only a joke,
So we pass it in dreams, and we pass it in smoke,
Smoke – smoke – smoke.
III
Teestay
Of tropic sensations, the worst
Is, sin duda, the tropical thirst.
When it starts in your throat and constantly grows,
Till you feel that it reaches down to your toes,
When your mouth tastes like fur
And your tongue turns to dust,
There’s but one thing to do,
And do it you must,
Drink teestay.
Teestay, a drink with a history,
A delicious, delectable mystery,
“Cinco centavos el vaso, se
(James Weldon Johnson)
More Poetry from James Weldon Johnson:
James Weldon Johnson Poems based on Topics: Night, Light, Sleep, Sin, Dreams, Mystery, History, Revolution, Miracles, Jokes & Humor, Medicine & Medical- The Rivals (James Weldon Johnson Poems)
- The Prodigal Son (James Weldon Johnson Poems)
- Brothers (James Weldon Johnson Poems)
- Fifty Years (1863-1913) (James Weldon Johnson Poems)
- Vashti (James Weldon Johnson Poems)
- Go Down Death (James Weldon Johnson Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Night Poems, Light Poems, Dreams Poems, Sleep Poems, Sin Poems, Silver Poems, Mystery Poems, Medicine & Medical Poems, History Poems, Jokes & Humor Poems, Miracles PoemsBased on Keywords: vaso, constitutions, niente, a-blush, cinco, duda, light-girt