They have dreamed as young men dream Of glory, love and power; They have hoped as youth will hope Of life’s sun-minted hour.
They have seen as others saw Their bubbles burst in air, And they have learned to live it down As though they did not care.
I do not ask for love, ah! no, Nor friendship’s happiness, These were relinquished long ago; I search for something less.
I seek a little tranquil bark In which to drift at ease Awhile, and then quite silently To sink in quiet seas.
Passing ever, early, late,
No fond footsteps seek my gate,
But down the winding road they wend To some other journey’s end.
Yet,—I would not have them wait Here within my guarded gate, Certain footsteps I shall know, And for them I listen low!
You gave me your hand,
I held it to be
The last word, the dear word, The soul’s entity;
I cherished it, treasured it, Only to find
I held but a gauntlet—
That I had been blind!
Good-bye dear day of sunshine, rain In flooding torrents pours
Its liquid footsteps on my roof, Its fingers on my doors.
While I sit tranquilly within And tell my beads of joy,
Holding a peace within my heart Which nothing can destroy.
Fire—tears—
And the torture-chamber,
With the last maddening turn of the screw— Only thus
Is one precious drop distilled
Of the attar of rose
Of the heart.
Believe me—when I say
That love like yours, at this belated hour, Overwhelms me,—
Stills the fount of thought!
I move as one new-born—
And strange to swift transitions
As from my prison door
I gaze
Into a blinding sunlight!
Again it is the vibrant May, The bursting buds, the leafing trees, The fragrant, undulating breeze, Call to my heart in subtlest way: Come! Come! it is a holiday.
The streamlet with unending song, Beneath its silver veil of mist Seems flowing, flowing, to some tryst, While I—with inner surges strong, Find incomplete the day, and long.
Georgia Douglas Johnson was an African American poet, playwright, and activist associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she hosted a celebrated literary salon that brought together many prominent Black writers and intellectuals of the early twentieth century. Her poetry is characterized by lyrical beauty and musicality, often employing traditional forms such as the sonnet to explore themes of romantic love, motherhood, isolation, and racial injustice. Many of her poems examine the inner lives of women and the emotional costs of prejudice and social constraint. Her first collection, "The Heart of a Woman" (1918), established her reputation with its intimate and melodic verses, while "Bronze" (1922) more directly addressed racial themes. She also wrote numerous plays, many of which remained unpublished or unproduced during her lifetime, dealing with subjects like lynching and the struggles of Black families. Johnson's work bridges the sentimental and the political, earning her recognition as a significant figure in African American literature. Her salon, known as the "Saturday Nighters," was a vital hub for the Harlem Renaissance, hosting figures such as Langston Hughes and Jean Toomer. Through her poetry and her role as a cultural host, she helped shape the literary and intellectual currents of her time. Her legacy endures in the growing appreciation of her poetic craftsmanship and her contribution to Black women's literary traditions.
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