A Spring Sonnet
July 5, 2023Winter Evening
July 5, 2023Southern Mansion
Poplars are standing there still as death
And ghosts of dead men
Meet their ladies walking
Two by two beneath the shade
And standing on the marble steps.
There is a sound of music echoing
Through the open door
And in the field there is
Another sound tinkling in the cotton:
Chains of bondmen dragging on the ground.
The years go back with an iron clank,
A hand is on the gate,
A dry leaf trembles on the wall.
Ghosts are walking.
They have broken roses down
And poplars stand there still as death.
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).