February 7, 2021

For a Poet

Countee Cullen

I have wrapped my dreams in a silken cloth,
And laid them away in a box of gold;
Where long will cling the lips of the moth,
I have wrapped my dreams in a silken cloth;
I hide no hate; I am not even wroth
Who found earth’s breath so keen and cold;
I have wrapped my dreams in a silken cloth,
And laid them away in a box of gold.

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on February 7, 2021, by the Academy of American Poets.

Subscribe to the Poem-a-Day Podcast

“For a Poet” originally appeared in Color (Harper & Bros., 1925).

Countee Cullen was born Countee LeRoy Porter on May 30, 1903, likely in Louisville, Kentucky. He authored many collections, including On These I Stand: An Anthology of the Best Poems of Countee Cullen (Harper & Bros., 1947), The Black Christ and Other Poems (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1929), and Copper Sun (Harper & Bros., 1927). A teacher in New York City for twelve years, he died on January 9, 1946.

Color
(Harper & Bros., 1925)

“Rhapsody” by William Stanley Braithwaite
read more

“Harlem” by Langston Hughes
read more

Thanks to Rachel Eliza Griffiths, author of Seeing the Body (W. W. Norton, 2020), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read a Q&A about Griffiths’ curatorial approach and find out more about our guest editors for the year.

This free, daily series is made possible by our readers. If you’re able, please consider donating to support this work.

Become a monthly sustainer
join

Make a one-time gift
donate

The Academy of American Poets

75 Maiden Lane

St #901

New York, NY 10038

Add us to your address book

View this email in your browser

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Poem-a-Day - "For a Poet" by Countee Cullen

For a Poet

Subscribe to the Poem-a-Day Podcast

Older messages

"The Power of Hope Today" by Gabrielle Marshall

"Realization" by Marilyn Nelson

"Pier 52" by Omotara James

Join Us for All We Can Save: A Virtual Reading & Conversation

"SELF PORTRAIT as retratos de cosas locas y de locos (stolen)" by Patricia Spears Jones

You Might Also Like

This Maximalist Coat Trend Is My Winter 2024 Hero Piece

5-Bullet Friday — 63 Principles for Living, Treating Cancer with Viruses, Learning from Japanese Gardeners, and More

Please Don't Use Any of These Passwords

Sofia Richie Made Y2K's Most-Hated Trend Look Elegant

Influencers Are Going Full MAGA

The best way to cook with mangoes

🌎 Where Mindfulness Meets Climate Action

Everyday Reverence

Mikey Madison Refuses To Log On

Early Black Friday Deals and Holiday-Party Outfits