No Crystal Stair

Source

 Yes, yes. I know it's been awhile. My only excuse, er . . . explanation is: Life.

So I'm here because it's been too long. I'm here because I've missed the sounds and exhalations of the isle. And I'm here because it's April: Poetry Month.

In the vein of my excuse, er . . . explanation, I thought I'd share a poem by Langston Hughes that acknowledges that Life, in all its demands and detours and detritus, is worth pursuing and pounding onward. And his comparison of life to a stairway is, I believe, perfectly precise. Or precisely perfect. (Ah, it's good to be home on the isle.) I hope you enjoy:


Mother to Son
By: Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Or if you prefer to listen to the poem, here ya go: