Monday, February 2, 2015

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LANGSTON HUGHES

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Langston Hughes
(1902-1967) 




He
has
more
imitators
than God
has nicknames










Yesterday was Langston's 113th birthday.

It was celebrated throughout this great planet of ours.

It was celebrated wherever people have a sense of true culture.

GoogleDoodle provided an exquisite video tribute.

Click  here  to watch it.



Langston Hughes' birthday is
also the day that commences 
Black History Month.

This is much more than coincidence.

It is totally appropriate that the writer
whose name is a synonym for 
the Harlem Renaissance
be so honored.

The name LANGSTON HUGHES is a synonym for jazz poetry.

It behooves this  imitator  of  Mr. Hughes to keep hyperlinks down to a minimum.

It also behooves me to avoid listing 113 personal memories of the man I prefer to call Langston.


However, I will give a brief account of a most satisfying
Langston memory from... Bishop Reilly High School, circa 1966.

Brother Ervin's Creative Writing students had to recite 
ONE HUNDRED WORDS OR LESS  in front of the class.

One and only one of twenty-five students was applauded
by everyone else in the room, Brother Ervin included.

That student recited Langston Hughes' poem, MOTTO.

I will not name the student because
humility is a part-time virtue.

Yesterday, that very same student time-traveled
back to what was indisputably and without doubt
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