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Mother to Son by Langston Hughes   
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Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967 / Joplin / Missouri)
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Born in Joplin, Missouri, James Langston Hughes was the great-great-grandson of Charles Henry Langston (brother of John Mercer Langston, the first Bla .. more >>
49 poems of Langston Hughes
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Mother to Son

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  Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Langston Hughes


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Read poems about / on: sometimes, son, dark, light, mother, life, time

 
  Comments about this poem (Mother to Son by Langston Hughes )
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  Jessica Hughes  (5/25/2009 2:25:00 PM)

Such a sweet and endearing poem. A mother's love....
  Taneka Carter  (4/20/2009 7:18:00 PM)

This poem comes straight from the heart man. I love it>
  Laquittia Thomas  (11/7/2008 10:35:00 AM)

I remember having to site this poem in third grade. Then, I never thought about what it meant or what I was saying. Just the other day this poem came to mind and I had to look it up on line. I'am now 29 and what I get from this poem is; the mother had worked hard and is still working hard and in doing so she as turned around somewhere in her life and found it to be harder to go back than to stay focus on your dream or destination. Now that her son is coming along in life, he now sees that life is not a crystal stair and there will be bumps and other curves in life but you have to stay straight because it not nessarily easier to get ahead but it is a heck of a lot harder to turn back and then turn in the right direction. Also, she is trying to keep her son from making that same mistake because although lifes' obstacles may or may not be a crystal stair it takes hard work to claim it.
  Athena Atalanta  (10/27/2008 4:55:00 AM)

poignant. inspiring.
  Wangui Mukiri  (10/12/2008 6:03:00 AM)

Exceptional. Inspiring.
Ever-green
  Asianna Nelson  (9/16/2008 5:35:00 PM)

love this poem it tells alot
  Natalie Austin  (7/18/2008 2:19:00 PM)

This poem is a classic i remember reading it when i was a little girl in school maybe then i didn't really know the extent of this poem but i know it now that I'm 18. Life isn't easy its not smooth and easy going. Life's hard really hard. It doesn't slow down for you when things get hard and it doesn't stop long enough for you to fix something. So life isn't a crystal stair.
  R A  (5/12/2008 12:56:00 PM)

I e-mail my mom this poem for mother's Day as a gift. and she loved it
  Renae Herron  (2/21/2008 5:15:00 PM)

i have to memorize this whole poem tommorow 4 school and its a real good poem>>>hopefully i can memorize it......beauuuuuuutiful verse....WISH ME LUCK.

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11/21/2009 8:16:35 AM. #.34# You Are Here: Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

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