Son of Mine
To Denis
Son of Mine - meaning Summary
Comfort Amid Racial Pain
Addressed to the poet's son, the poem acknowledges the pain and puzzlement caused by racial division but refuses to center on brutality and hatred. Instead the speaker deliberately chooses to teach hope: stories of mutual respect, entwined lives, and brotherhood between black and white. The poem presents a protective, aspirational response to inherited trauma, prioritizing resilience and the possibility of reconciliation over cataloguing injustice.
Read Complete AnalysesMy son, your troubled eyes search mine, Puzzled and hurt by colour line. Your black skin as soft as velvet shine; What can I tell you, son of mine? I could tell you of heartbreak, hatred blind, I could tell you of crimes that shame mankind, Of brutal wrong and deeds malign, Of rape and murder, son of mine; But I'll tell you instead of brave and fine When lives of black and white entwine, And men in brotherhood combine-- This would I tell you, son of mine.
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