Langston Hughes wrote many short poems. In the last post I quoted my favorite poem - Dreams. That is not just my favorite poem by Langston Hughes, it is my favorite poem, period. This is another short poem by Langston Hughes. While he wrote many quite long poems, I believe it is in his short poems where the real power of his poetry shines through. The following poem evokes strong emotions in eight short lines.

Walls

Four walls can hold
So much pain,
Four walls that shield
From the wind and rain.

Four walls shelter
So much sorrow
Garnered from yesterday
and held for tomorrow.

Langston Hughes
1902-1967