February 1, 1902 - May 22, 1967
April Rain Song
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
Langston Hughes
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Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri but lived with is grandmother
in Kansas for most of his childhood. His grandmother was a strong believer in racial pride and passed this on to Hughes who, although he appreciated his grandmother, grew up with a sense of rejection because he didn't live with his parents. After his grandmother passed, he moved around living with his mother and step-father and occasionally his father although they didn't get along. In his eighth grade class Hughes was named class poet and throughout high school continued to write and eventually became recognized for his poems. After highschool, Hughes attended Columbia University for a year where he furthered his writing skills and began exploring ideas of the Harlem Renaissance and using rhthym and blues in his poetry. Later hughes attended Lincoln University where he had work published and earned his B.A. Hughes worked hard to depict lower class black communities in his poems and tried to steer away from prejudices formed on skin color. He was a firm believer in "Black is Beautiful" and wrote poems that explored black community and inspired many. Hughes became and acclaimed poet and author and wrote famous works about African American life and culture.
I think Langston Hughes is an amazing poet. He grew up as a African American, Homosexual man and fought through the struggles of that to become a very well known poet. He must have worked very hard and in the end his work paid off because he was able to express himself. I admire him and his work and feel that he has many beautiful poems about the Harlem Renaissance, and African American culture in general.
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