Tell Me
by Jean Toomer
Tell me, dear beauty of the dusk,
When purple ribbons bind the hill,
Do dreams your secret wish fulfill,
Do prayers, like kernels from the husk
Come from your lips? Tell me if when
The mountains loom at night, giant shades
Of softer shadow, swift like blades
Of grass seeds come to flower. Then
Tell me if the night winds bend
Them towards me, if the Shenandoah
As it ripples past your shore,
Catches the soul of what you send.
Jean Toomer (1894–1967) was an American poet and novelist born in Washington, D.C. He was a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance and is best known for Cane (1923), a groundbreaking blend of poetry and prose portraying Black life in America. Toomer was of mixed racial heritage, and resisted fixed racial categories. He sought to live out a broader spiritual and artistic identity. His work continues to influence American poetry and hybrid writing. This poem is in the public domain.
