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Langston Hughes (1902 -1967)
was a struggling young writer, working as a busboy in an expensive
Washington
D.C. hotel restaurant. One day Hughes heard that Vachel Lindsay, a
famous America poet , was going to dine in the hotel that night and then
give a reading of his poems. In his autobiography, Hughes describes
what happened:
"I
wanted very much to hear him read his poems, but I knew that they didn't
admit colored people to the auditorium. That afternoon, I wrote
out three of my poems, 'Jazzonia'. 'Negro Dancers', and 'The Weary
Blues' on some pieces of paper and put them in the pocket of my white
busboy's coat. In the evening when Mr. Lindsay came does to
dinner, I quickly laid them beside his plate and went away, afraid
to say anything to so famous a poet...I looked back once and saw Mr. Lindsay
reading the poems as I picked up a tray of dirty dishes from a side
table and started for the dumbwaiter. The next morning on my way
to work, as usual I |
