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There are rivers in our lives; and although I grew up on and now live near the Mississippi, mine is the Achelous. As a very young man, not yet an adult and way off the grid, I sat alone, on its shores, for a long, cool afternoon: thinking, wondering, figuring--as young men do. Eventually, my thoughts wandered to Langston Huges, to his song about rivers. You see, my mother's favorite author was Lorraine Hansberry and I had read A Raisin in the Sun more than once--even, at her request, aloud. I saw the character Ruth's son, Travis, through my eyes, and through him I found "A Dream Deferred," and through those words I found Langston Hughes. From there, an easy wade to "The Negro Speaks of Rivers."
On mornings like this one--rare, really--I ponder where I might be today had I stayed that river's course rather than making a path up the rocks as the sun settled its diurnal accounts.
A brave man, Langston Hughes' bio from poetry.org gives us the bare basics:
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was a young child, and his father moved to Mexico. He was raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen, when he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband, before the family eventually settled in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in Lincoln that Hughes began writing poetry. After graduating from high school, he spent a year in Mexico followed by a year at Columbia University in New York City. During this time, he held odd jobs such as assistant cook, launderer, and busboy. He also travelled to Africa and Europe working as a seaman. In November 1924, he moved to Washington, D. C. Hughes’s first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, (Knopf, 1926) was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926. He finished his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania three years later.
Now, the music.
Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair. Which is your river? From whence does it flow?