From the soul of a black man comes
the depth of a wondrous, jazz sound.
The flow of each instrument affects the
sway of the African-American male and
female as they dance in streets of Harlem, New York.
The light within the soul shines with a
gleam of joy and freedom, as the pianist
strikes each key and the saxophone plays its tune.
The average man doesn't feel the emotion
beneath each step, but it isn't hard to understand
the vibe that flows from the next man.
"It's too darn hot", the musician sings, yet
each street corner still cools the Harlem night.
The vibe changes to re-arrange the mood,
as "The Weary Blues" fills each eardrum in the room.
And the poetic language of Langston Hughes
reveals some truth behind the Harlem Renaissance.
This is a time of reluctance. A time of despair.
A time when hope was only a word muttered beneath one's breath.
A time when the sax, the keys, and it's symphony
were all the dignity held to a black man's name.
Hovering over these times today seems ridiculous,
that a race could be discriminated against because of the color of their skin.
God made us so equal, yet so different.
These are the truths hidden behind
the era of the Harlem Renaissance.
Such dark ages, filled with so much spirit and culture.
This was the era of the blues. The era of jazz.
This was the era of the rising of the Spirits of the Black Soul.
This was the Harlem Renaissance.
Written by: Dylan Terrell
Twitter: @DylTee
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Spirit of the Black Soul.
PoetryAfter studying various authors and works of the time period of the 1920s known as The Harlem Renaissance, I created a piece originally given as a school homework assignment, but I added just a little bit more depth to the work. This piece was inspir...
