Dudley Randall: A Poet\'s Poet

Dudley Randall: A Poet's Poet

Dudley Randall demonstrates what it means to be a poet with a cause. His poems reveal a passion about many things, always returning to the notion that without love, humanity is doomed. "Ballad of Birmingham," "A Poet is Not a Jukebox," and "The Profile on the Pillow" are three poems that demonstrate Randall's style and ability. These poems do not touch lightly upon their topics. Instead, they delve into the subject headlong, forcing readers to search for answers that must exist if we are to live within a reasonable society. Powerful imagery, symbolism, and the theme of love are critical components in Randall's work. From church bombings to the act of writing poetry, Randall wants us to know that love is the underlying force.

Baxter Miller writes that Randall grew up during the Harlem Renaissance, where he was obviously inspired with not only current events and issues but also artistic expression. Randall was a "poet of the next generation, and later, he helped to pioneer a third poetic era during the 1960s" (Miller). Randall explored "racial and historical themes, introspective and self-critical, his work combines ideas and forms from Western traditional poetry as well as from the Harlem Renaissance movement" (Miller). Randall was also an editor and publisher, which made him "invaluable to the Afro-American community" (Miller). Randall should be recognized as a man that realized his passion as well as his talent. He took issues that were important to him and his generation and was able to speak to millions through his art. Randall used imagery, rhyme, and themes of love successfully in his poetry. Dudley Randall's poetry captures slices of American life that reveals his eye passion and concern.

One of Randall's most popular poems is "Ballad of Birmingham," which recounts the dreadful church bombing in the city in 1963. His poem looks at the event from the perspective of one of the victim's mother. Chris Semansky writes, "Focusing on the relationship between a mother and her child allows Randall to evoke as much horror and pathos as possible from the story" (Semansky). Instead of wailing about the situation, Randall speaks with a soft voice that still proves his point of the absurdity of the incident. The image of the mother attempting to keep her child safe is met with bitter disappointment. Semansky states, "Represented as an obedient, dutiful child who not only does what her mother tells her but who also does what is morally right . . . The little girl embodies the virtues and ideals of the civil rights movement" (Semansky). "Ballad of Birmingham," is a rhyming poem that reads like a lullaby, an aspect that only brings more horror to the forefront. The mother realizes the danger that exists when she says:

"No, baby, no, you may not go,

For the dogs are fierce and wild,

And clubs and hoses, guns and jails

Aren't good for a little child" (5-8).

Here we see Randall pointing out the danger that lurks behind racism without being aggressive. The mother desires to keep her daughter safe and tells her daughter, "For I fear those guns will fire. / but you may go to church instead / and sing in the children's choir" (14-6). The intent is good but that is not always enough. The image of the children singing in choir is destroyed with the final stanza, where we read:

She clawed through bits of glass and brick,

Then lifted out a shoe.

"O, here's the shoe my baby wore,

But, baby, where are you?" (25-8)

The painful aspect of this poem is that it reflects an actual historical event. Semansky writes that this mother is a symbolic "universal mother figure who desires to shield her child from potential danger" (Semansky). The image of the girl and the shoe are important in the poem because they have become established in the reader's mind. The last image of the desperate mother is not one readers are likely to forget soon. This poet illustrates that sometimes, regardless of how we try to do the right thing, it is impossible to escape the cruel behavior of others. This mother was probably no doubt certain that she was doing the right thing.

In his poem, "A Poet is Not a Jukebox," Randall demonstrates his passion for what he does. His art is more important to him that the events that might be occurring in other parts of the country. He states emphatically, "A poet is not a jukebox so don't tell me what to write" (Randall 1). He speaks about the importance of being open to inspiration rather than being distracted when he writes, "I've been so busy working for the Census, and listening to music all night, / and making new poems / That I've broken my habit of watching TV and reading newspapers" (6-8). Here he reveals that he will not be a slave to the media, something many can relate to in this digital generation. He does not rule out the possibility of writing about current issues, however, stating, "Yeah, maybe I'll write about Miami, as I wrote about Birmingham, / but it'll be because I want to write about Miami, not because somebody / says I ought to" (28-30). These lines reveal that Randall is committed to his cause and he will write by his terms only. This does not mean that he does not care about what is happening but rather it means that he will allow the must to guide him as he sees fit.

The imagery in "A Poet is Not a Jukebox" is powerful because it is revolves around scenes that reflect actual events that may or may not have occurred. For example, when the poet mentions the "Commissar of Culture in Russia" (12) or the "new steel furnaces in the Novobigorsk region" (13), we have a concrete image of what the poet wants us to see. Similarly, we he writes about those in love "they bathe with sweet-smelling soap" (34) or "put on gleaming silken garments" (36), we can see these things and probably relate to them on one level or another. When he speaks of love, he wants the reader to imagine the power of love. For example, he presents his readers with the questions, "If Josephine had given Napoleon more loving, he wouldn't have sown the / meadows of Europe with skulls. / if Hitler had been happy in love, he wouldn't have baked people in ovens" (41-3). These are powerful images that pose an interesting question and they linger in the reader's imagination long after the poem is read.

In "The Profile on the Pillow," the poet captures a moment in time that captures the love he feels for his lover. The poem is rich with emotion and passion while bringing the reader into the scene. There is nothing spectacular about this moment other than the notion that the poet has found the ability to love. He writes:

Perhaps you will cease to love me.

or we may be consumed in the holocaust, but I keep, against the ice and the fire, the memory of your profile on the pillow (9-13)