A Spring Sonnet
July 5, 2023Winter Evening
July 5, 2023A Black Man Talks of Reaping
I have sown beside all waters in my day.
I planted deep, within my heart the fear
that wind or fowl would take the grain away.
I planted safe against this stark, lean year.
I scattered seed enough to plant the land
in rows from Canada to Mexico
but for my reaping only what the hand
can hold at once is all that I can show.
Yet what I sowed and what the orchard yields
my brother’s sons are gathering stalk and root;
small wonder then my children glean in fields
they have not sown, and feed on bitter fruit.
Arna Wendell Bontemps
Arna Wendell Bontemps (1902-1973) was an African American poet, novelist, and librarian. He was a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance and is best known for his works that celebrate the cultural heritage of African Americans. Some of his notable works include "God Sends Sunday" (1931), "Black Thunder" (1936), and "Story of the Negro" (1937).