Browse Items (23 total)

This poem is narrated by someone who feels left behind by a charismatic politician. References are made to the politician's constituents as being "scraps of self" and asking too much by expecting the politician to make their burdens his or her own,…

This page shows two poems written by Chinese student Poon Kant Mok of the 1927 graduating class, "First Love" and "Crossing." The first poem, "First Love," is a brief romantic piece. The second poem, "Crossing," discusses homesickness, a…

This poem, narrated by "the slave's dream and hope," attacks the idea of "good hair" as a superior, more acceptable alternative to natural black hair. It asserts that good hair should have been left on the plantations, and compares it to the song…

The narrator of this poem claims that, if he were black, he wouldn't mind being turned away from a white cemetery. The poem finishes by arguing that "it's white of them to give what tantamounts to [an integrated world], and makes us all, for what…

This poem by Poon Kant Mok of the 1927 graduating class describes separation between the narrator and a hesitant lover who ultimately leaves him. The narrator encourages this lover, whom he calls "Far-to-seek," to keep going despite him.

In this poem, writer R. A. S. states his admiration for Pocahontas. He contrasts her with her native people, the "fierce Indian lads," whom he likens to barbarians. Through this poem, the author portrays his negative views on indigenous people in…

This poem from the 1954 Messenger addresses a bumpy city bus that the narrator rides, urging it to pay attention to the people that ride it. This narrator speculates about the lives and personalities of some assumedly white riders before listing off…

This poem details the sloppiness and ungratefulness of students and contrasts it with the diligent and thankless work that janitors do to keep campus clean. The race dynamics of this relationship are not mentioned, but this piece is paired with a…

This poem is a celebration of the narrator's "angel," a black woman with "coca skin" and "dark softness." It was the only poem by a black student in the 1984 Messenger.

This poem by a white student describes two "bums," one black and one white, who ultimately realize that, despite their differences and the oppressive attitudes of the white person towards the black person, each is the only friend that the other has.