2003 Langston Hughes Poetry Contest Winners

Mind Food
by Frances Shani Parker of Detroit, MI

Mama takes us to the library
to get food for our minds.
My sisters and I hold on to her
like burnt grits on a pot.
The bus jerks forward,
pulls us down the aisle
to look for empty seats.
"Here's a seat," I say,
proud to be a good helper.
Mama says, "No," pushes us
on like a strong wind.
Rocking with the bus, I trip,
fall, feel smaller than a peanut.
We pass another empty seat.
My mouth stays shut.
I sway back and forth,
think about the next bus
on this long trip to Bookland.
Tired, hungry Raggedy Anns,
we flop down on the last seat.
I ask my sister why this hot seat
is better than the ones we passed,
and why don't we use the library
in our neighborhood. She says,
"A mean man named Jim Crow
loves to make colored folks suffer."

Back to Tom Dent Literary Festival, 2003