Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee;
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.
Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, "Nigger."
I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.
Incident by Countee Cullen • 28 poems by Countee CullenEdit
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Born in 1903 in New York City, Countee Cullen was raised in a Methodist parsonage. He attended De Witt Clinton High School in New York and began writing poetry at the age of fourteen.
An imaginative lyric poet, he wrote in the tradition of Keats and Shelley.
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By Countee Cullen, © -1, All rights reserved.
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- People...this was written by Countee Cullen and you're commenting as though he's alive and on AllPoetry! It suggests you are pursuing a pleasure in poetry without having experienced the other literature first. Tsk tsk!Rate this comment
- What a bad memory but it is a very awesome poem. You are a great writer.Rate this comment
I wanted to say that it's nice to know that someone else also mentioned this as I had trouble finding the same info elsewhere. This was the first place that told me the answer
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- Oh if it is a true story then I hate that guy
Awesome poem though
Keep writing Rate this comment
This poem reflects my feelings when I think about and/or attend my job!! That is not a good thing for me but the poem is beyond beautiful !!!!!!!
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- This is very good. "...no whit bigger" this is going to be my first favourite.
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- Oh, the sting of racism! How appropriate for Black History Month, and how sorry I am you experienced that.
How sad, a wound carried for life.
I get the chills from head to toe each time I read this poem.
Powerful and haunting.
I perform this poem in our Harlem Renaissance tour. Raw and real! Thanks Countee! ♥
Renee
- Life is all about incidents and of what we make of them. Even the most minor of moments can define our existence. Great meaning behind such simple language.
- Yep, I remember this from 9th grade.
One thing that stood out to me about this poem was the irony of the style that it is written in and then what it is really about.
When you first start reading it seems like it's going to be an innocent nursery rhyme, and then it cuts to the chase and you're thinking "woah, didn't see that coming."
And suddenly, you've been blindsided by a societal commentary without even realizing it. Cleverly written. A definite classic. - Wow, very amazing poem. I like the briefness of it. Yet behind it all is so much emotion. Great job.
- a very potent point is made in this poem...words do pinch...
- If you think words cannot hurt, think again.
- of a significant nature, then accepted and a resolution is provided. told in full in moley, "after seven years entered? 4 under police investigation, defined as a threat to the legitimate use and/or operation of any university computing resource, as defined in the computer use policies. under investigation: a single problem or question that cannot be broken down into smaller parts, updated in remedy. a story.
- I remember reading this in the 7th grade. Still touches me
So many years ago, with so much that has come to pass,including an African-American President, this poem still has a high degree of relevance. As a nation we play with baby steps , one step forward and two back or visa-versa. With the Marten Luther King Memorial soon to be unveiled,we do seem to be painfully going in the right direction.
- This is such a light and yet poignant poem. It has a childlike air while displaying the dark undertones of racism that accompany the childhood of many people of color.
Wonderful. - Great work!
- wow.. this is so wow.. I like it for it's flow its very interesting
Hahah I like the "Baltimorean" and how this is so simple yet entertaining and just great.
- I've reread both comments and there is a possibility that I misunderstood what you were saying. I should have followed my first mind and asked you why did you fell the need to stress that Cullen did not write white. As for the picture I have of you, a white person who was offended by the emotional and careless comments above. Now, my reply was definitely emotional, but if it was also careless, I'm sorry.
- I still find it amazing how many people do not read what is in front of them. I did not say the person who spoke was not white, I said Cullen did not write white!
We may infer that the person was white and I personally think that if we assume the incident actaully happened then the probability is that the person (adult, child, male, female) was white.
I also think that Cullen was such a talented wordsmith that his deliberate use of whit was to test people's assumptions.
BTW your rather obscure comment about my comment disclosing more about me is a prime example of the power of a phrase to imply something without saying it. It too depends on the preexisting feelings of the reader. I wonder what sort of picture you have of me from that comment.
Jim - I think your comment discloses more about yourself than "The Incident". The young person who called him nigger was more than likely white and I feel safe to say that in 1930s that the young child was not the only white person to feel that way, but if it makes you feel any better I don't belive every white Baltimorian in 1930s indulged in that sickness. I don't think Countee left much room for interpretation. His motives in this poem are very clear.
- From guest Guest (contact)
I read this poem in my English class years ago and of all the poems I have ever read in that class this is the one that I still remember. It is such a short yet touching and tragic poem. It breaks my heart reading that the most memorable part of his whole experience there was being branded by his race, possibly for the first time that he was old enough to understand. He was an innocent young boy, full of smiles and kindness, and in return he was shown cruelty. Its hard to forget. This poem and this memory of his will be read for years still to come. I applaud him on being able to express here how it made him feel. I can only image the pride he would feel now if he were still alive. I happened on this poem ...
while reading an instructional book on poetry dealing with structure, sound and sense and this poem is one that I'll never forget for the stark reality of it all! I wonder if, like Mark Twain's use of the word, the general public will find it neccessary to edit it to something more gentle? I should hope not!Children are victims
From guest mihingawai (contact)
An underlying reality of 'Incident' is dualfold for children and racism. Not only is it a tragedy that an innocent African American child is exposed to such unwarranted bigotry and thus scarred; but also that adult white Americans poison and corrupt the minds of their own children to perpetuate their bigotry. Tragicadmiration
From guest Dr. Charles-DeAndre' Wright (contact)
one of the first poems I ever committed to memory. 30 years later I still use it to teach english, diversity, psychology and theater.- From guest DRASH GOKALGANDHI (contact)
its a very good poem by Cullen i liked it. Timeless
From guest Charlotte Y. Phoenix (contact)
It has been my favorite poem for years and every time I begin to think it's message is outdated, something reminds me that there are still some people who have racist attitudes that transcend the laws and common sense. In 2008, the majority of people voted for a Black man to become President of the USA. At that moment, this poem seemed to be a relic. But in a very short time, we witnessed a level of disrespect shown him that was noticeably worse than that shown any other president, even George W. Bush. He's been called a liar publicly by a Congressman on television. High-ranking Republicans have stated that their primary goal is to make him a one-term president by contributing to his failure. Fox News runs commercials during his addresses. This is an all-time low in behavior by public officials and media personalities and executives. There are still many incidents that African Americans face and that we see other minorities face in America. And, though we are certainly better off educationally, financially and legally than our parents and ancestors, we still feel the sting of racism. It is more subtle and we are stronger in the face of it than they could afford to be. However, each "incident" still evokes hurt and anger that we suppress to avoid being stereotyped or "living down" to expectations. CYP, Ph. D.poetry
From guest sarah jordan (contact)
this poem really shows the truth and how the racism affects other races such as african, jewish etc. In this poem it proves that no matter what good things you do, its easiest to remember the wrong rather than the right.= ( its sad
From guest jonathan ramirez (contact)
racism doesn't take you along in life. It makes you not meet the people your meant to meet and it drives people away. =(its sad:(
From guest kelsey sgroi (contact)
i dont like it when they called him bad names that is very mean!- From guest smathers (contact)
i dont think right to make juges about people because of their skin color.
