A Poem For Myself Poem by Etheridge Knight
A Poem For Myself
I was born in Mississippi;
I walked barefooted thru the mud.
Born black in Mississippi,
Walked barefooted thru the mud.
But, when I reached the age of twelve
I left that place for good.
My daddy chopped cotton
And he drank his liquor straight.
Said my daddy chopped cotton
And he drank his liquor straight.
When I left that Sunday morning
He was leaning on the barnyard gate.
Left my mama standing
With the sun shining in her eyes.
Left her standing in the yard
With the sun shining in her eyes.
And I headed North
As straight as the Wild Goose Flies,
I been to Detroit & Chicago
Been to New York city too.
I been to Detroit & Chicago
Been to New York city too.
Said I done strolled all those funky avenues
I'm still the same old black boy with the same old blues.
Going back to Mississippi
This time to stay for good
Going back to Mississippi
This time to stay for good-
Gonna be free in Mississippi
Or dead in the Mississippi mud.
In spite of a very hard life, but somehow discovered that, truly, there is no place like home.
I like this one a lot - probably because Mississippi is a magic word for me, show me that stream called the river Jordan......... Thanks Egal...
loved this piece...seems songlike but that made me sing through the words....there is a wonderful balance of joy honesty and pain.. great how it went full circle from the mud in mississippi.tyvm...karen
Again he is the master artist of the moment caught in his poetic verse better than it would be caught by a camera- the repetition strengthens the past but lays the path to the future- -Knight is a supreme poet
The pain of the poet in his poem writing about him is very strong and poignant......Nicely written poem.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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11/17/2024 9:27:57 PM # 1.0.0
Gonna be free in Mississippi Or dead in the Mississippi mud. his soul sings all his pain