For Selma

Langston Hughes 1902 (Joplin) – 1967 (New York City)



In places like
Selma, Alabama,
Kids say,
    In places like
    Chicago and New York...
In places like
Chicago and New York
Kids say,
    In places like
    London and Paris...
In places like
London and Paris
Kids say,
    In places like
    Chicago and New York...
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by Thao9393 on May 23, 2018

Modified on May 01, 2023

13 sec read
886

Quick analysis:

Scheme AbCADADCAEAECAD
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 253
Words 44
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15

Langston Hughes

James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry. Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote about the period that "the negro was in vogue" which was later paraphrased as "when Harlem was in vogue". more…

All Langston Hughes poems | Langston Hughes Books

26 fans

Discuss the poem "For Selma" with the community...

1 Comment
  • laskuce
    I like this because Langston Hughes allows the reader to think a last line. This gesture includes the reader, giving thought to inclusion and relevance It also says Selma will not be forgotten.
    LikeReply10 months ago

Translation

Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"For Selma" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/47045/for-selma>.

Become a member!

Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

March 2024

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
12
days
21
hours
28
minutes

Browse Poetry.com

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

»
About how many poems did Emily Dickinson write?
A 2,500
B 750
C 500
D 1,800