Bob Holman (bobholman.com)

February 01, 2005 —

Good morning everybody! Bob Holman here with some poems on WNYC!

It's February 1 which is the birth date of Langston Hughes.

1902 Born James Langston Hughes, Joplin Missouri to James Nathaniel hughes who was a stenographer with a mining company and Carrie Mercer Langston hughes who wrote verse and acted in amateur theatricals.

One of our poets laureate, a true New Yorker, who wrote this poem for us!

PROJECTION

On the day when the Savoy
leaps clean over to Seventh Avenue
and starts jitterbugging
with the Renaissance,
on that day when the Abyssinia Baptist Church
throws her enourmous arms around
St. James Presbyterian
and 409 Edgecomb
stoops to kiss 12 West 123rd,
on that day-

Do, Jesus!
Manhattan Island will whirl
like a Dizzy Gillespie transcription
played by Inez and Timme.
On that day, Lord,
Sammy Davis and Marian Anderson
will sing a duet,
Paul Robeson
will team up with Jackie Mabley,
and Father Divine will say in truth,

Peace,
It's truly
wonderful

A dream of peace from Langston Hughes.

 Bob Holman on WNYC!