#MIDDLEBURY
America
Claude McKay
Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!
Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.
Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time’s unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.
About this poem
“America” was first published in The Liberator in December of 1921. It appeared in McKay’s collection “Harlem Shadows” (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1922).
About Claude McKay
Claude McKay was born in Jamaica on Sept. 15, 1889. His collections of poetry include “Songs of Jamaica” (Gardner, 1912) and “Constab Ballads” (Watts, 1912). He died in 1948.
The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day@poets.org.
This poem is in the public domain. Originally published in Poem-a-Day, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
