Since a line of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poetry is quoted above, and since this month honors Black American History, the convergence brings to mind an interesting bit of literary history. American poet Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a collection of poems dedicated to the plight of slaves in “Poems on Slavery.” His poems were not commercially viable because of the controversial theme. However, they were reprinted as inspirational anti-slavery tracts. Even if your voice is marginalized, there is power in truth when speaking about the burdens of oppression.
You’re a poet and you don’t even know it...Your feet are long fellows.
—a childhood wordplay joke