Black Moods: Collected Poems Book

Acknowledgments     xv
Chronology     xvii
Introduction: Weaving Jagged Words into Song     xxi
Note on the Text     lxvii
Black Man's Verse (1935)
Introduction     3
Chicago's Congo     5
Only My Words     7
What Do You Want America?     8
I Sing No New Songs     11
Lynched     12
What's a New Full Moon?     17
Rain     17
Gary, Indiana     18
Jazz Band     20
Mojo Mike's Beer Garden     22
Cabaret     23
Returned     25
The Slave     26
Five Portraits of Chicago at Night     26
Hands of a Brown Woman     28
Creation     30
Which One?     31
Lullaby     32
Death     33
Georgia's Atlanta     35
Portrait of an Old Woman     37
South State Street Profile     38
Fragments
Finding     39
Christians?     39
Query     39
Dreams     40
Kansas Winter     40
Failure     40
Race     41
April Night     41
Love Cycle
Tryst     42
To You     43
Love Notes at Night     44
The Story Ends     45
Realization     48
Ebony under Granite
Rev. Joseph Williams     49
Goldie Blackwell     49
Acey White     50
Robert Whitmore     50
Arthur Ridgewood, M.D.     50
George Brown     51
Giles Johnson, Ph.D.     51
Roosevelt Smith     52
I Am the American Negro (1937)
Forewarning     57
I Am the American Negro     57
Dancing Gal     64
Flowers of Darkness     65
They All Had Grand Ideas     66
Christ Is a Dixie Nigger     67
Washington Park, Chicago     68
Note Left by a Suicide     74
To One Who Would Leave Me     75
'Mancipation Day     77
Notes on a Summer Night     78
Awakening     80
Come to Me     81
Modern Man-the Superman     83
Two Women     86
For Any Unborn Negro     87
"Onward Christian Soldiers!"      87
Midsummer Morn     87
Ebony under Granite
Moses Mitchell     88
Sam Jackson     88
Jonathan Wood     89
Cleo and Sarah Greeley     89
Benjamin Blakey     91
Nicodemus Perry     91
Mrs. Clifton Townsend     92
Editor Ralph Williamson     93
Frank Marshall Davis: Writer     94
47th Street: Poems (1948)
Foreword     99
Section I
47th Street     103
Snapshots of the Cotton South     115
Pattern for Conquest     121
Black Weariness     122
Egotistic Runt     123
Chicago Skyscrapers     125
Tenement Room     127
Four Glimpses of Night     128
To Those Who Sing America     129
Section II
Peace Quiz for America     131
For All Common People     138
War Zone     140
Nothing Can Stop the People     141
Section III
I Bring Proven Gifts     145
Lines to a Summer Love     146
To One Forever Gone     147
To Lorelei     151
Life Is a Woman     152
Alone     153
You Are All     153
Section IV
Coincidence     156
Man of Science     157
Adam Smothers     158
Mental Man     159
Spinster: Old     159
I Have Talked with Death     160
Self Portrait     163
Peace Is a Fragile Cup     164
Uncollected and Unpublished Poems, 1948-84
Social Verse
To the Red Army     169
I Have Faith     171
Creed for Hedonists     171
Ours Is a Modern God     172
Little and Big     174
Public Servant     175
Give Us Our Freedom Now!     175
Finality     178
To Those Seeking Fame     180
Black American     181
Three Average Americans     183
[Ike Mosby]     185
Miss Samantha Wilson     185
To a Young Man     186
Jazz Poems
Billie Holiday     188
Duke Ellington     189
Charlie Parker     190
Louis Armstrong     192
Lady Day     193
Ella     194
"Swing It Brother Swing"     194
Hawaii
This Is Paradise     195
Moonlight at Kahana Bay     208
Tale of Two Dogs     209
Pacific Invasion     210
Horizontal Cameos: 37 Portraits     211
Lani     211
Anne     212
Mamie     212
Connie     213
Hazel     213
Mary     213
Mrs.     214
Lorna     215
Eloise     215
Alma     216
Maggie     216
Betty     216
Frances     217
Lucille     217
Agnes     217
Winnie     218
Louise     218
Flo     218
Blondie     219
Wilma     219
Madeline     220
Hannah     220
Charity     221
Rose     222
Trudy     222
Arline     223
Rita     223
Hilda     224
Bernice     224
Jean     224
Patty     225
Marjorie     226
Olive     226
Jessica     227
Josephine     227
Verna      228
Essie Mae     229
Lyrics of Love
To Helen     230
[In What Strange Place]     231
To My Own     232
She     235
Alpha-Omega     236
The Search Ends     237
Alone     239
Appendix
War Quiz for America     241
Notes to the Poems     249
Index of Titles     273