What shall I give my children? who are poor,
Who are adjudged the leastwise of the land,
Who are my sweetest lepers, who demand
No velvet and no velvety velour;
But who have begged me for a brisk contour,
Crying that they are quasi, contraband
Because unfinished, graven by a hand
Less than angelic, admirable or sure.
My hand is stuffed with mode, design, device.
But I lack access to my proper stone
And plenitude of plan shall not suffice
Nor grief nor love shall be enough alone
To ratify my little halves who bear
Across an autumn freezing everywhere . . .
(Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks)
More Poetry from Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks:
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Poems based on Topics: Love, Children, Cry, Design, Planning, Autumn- The Sundays Of Satin-Legs Smith (Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Poems)
- A Bronzeville Mother Loiters In Mississippi. Meanwhile, A Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon (Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Poems)
- The Life Of Lincoln West (Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Poems)
- The Blackstone Rangers (Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Poems)
- The Near-Johannesburg Boy (Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Poems)
- Black Love (Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Love Poems, Cry Poems, Children Poems, Autumn Poems, Planning Poems, Design PoemsBased on Keywords: lepers, contraband, contour, adjudged, ratify, leastwise, velour