Poetry in the Chaos

When I lived in Cincinnati for Ph.D. coursework, I visited many National Park Sites in Dayton, Ohio. The area is known for the beginnings of the Wright siblings’ foray into aviation. However, among the other landmarks stands the Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site, where the poet lived with his mother as he was suffering and dying from tuberculosis and the mental and physical symptoms of the disease.

As a child, Paul began writing, especially poetry, and performing. He continued to write, working in newspaper publishing beginning during his teenage years. His first published poems appeared in a Dayton newspaper when he was sixteen. Although he only lived until the age of thirty-three, he wrote poetry, short stories, newspaper articles, novels, song lyrics, and a play.

As one of the first African-Americans to become known for his poetry, Paul nevertheless suffered from monetary troubles, depression, and disease. The middle stanza of his poem Sympathy reads:

I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting –
I know why he beats his wing!

Learn more about Paul’s career and life on the Library of Congress website.