I’m here for two reasons. Firstly I want to tell you all that my short story “The Freest Bird” won the short story competition for Perimeter College! It’s not a huge deal, but I’m excited about it.

The second thing I’m here for is that I’m currently in the process of doing an in depth analysis of the poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes. It’s so good. Like SO good. I had to share it.

I’ve known rivers:

I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins.

 

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

 

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy

bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

 

I’ve known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

 

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.