Mother to Son (99 Words: B)

Langston Hughes
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Commented [NA1]: The crystal stair she talks about signifies an

easy life. A life that most kids these days take for granted. This stair
is the steps it took for her to end up where she is. She says it hasnt
been a crystal stair because her life has been hard, not easy.
Commented [NA2]: The tacks she is talking about is missteps in
her life. Things that she did not want to step on but did anyway. As
her life went on she got into situations that hurt her.
Commented [NA3]: These torn up boards represent the things
that affected her greatly. I think it would be something that stirred
her emotionally. The torn board may represent something that she
will never forget and had to jump over, rather than deal with it.