Love can also be something intimate that only two people can share. In addition, an artist must love his or her work in order to be successful. Dudley Randall is a poet's poet. His work illustrates just what a poet should be: compassionate, passionate, open, honest, and real. His work brings his messages home to the reader and through imagery, symbolism, and rhythm. "Ballad of Birmingham," "A Poet is Not a Jukebox," and "The Profile on the Pillow" are excellent examples of Randall's techniques and style. We will always remember the image of the mother who discovers her daughter's shoe as well as the image of the poet that refuses to told what to say. Love becomes a theme in his works, as he always comes back to the notion that we will only survive as a people when we are open to love.

Works Cited

"Ball of Birmingham." Calvin Thomas Adams Online. Mr. Africa Poetry.
Information Retrieved August 4, 2009. http://www.ctadams.com/dudleyrandall4.html

-. "A Poet is Not a Jukebox." Calvin Thomas Adams Online. Mr. Africa Poetry. Information Retrieved August 4, 2009

-. "The Profile on the Pillow." Calvin Thomas Adams Online. Mr. Africa Poetry. Information Retrieved August 4, 2009.

R. Baxter Miller. "Dudley Felker Randall." Dictionary of Literary Biography. 1985. GALE

Resource Database. Information Retrieved August 4, 2009.

Semansky, Chris. "Critical Essay on 'Ballad of Birmingham.'" Poetry for Students. 1999.

Reproduced in Literature Resource Center. GALE Resource Database. Information Retrieved August 4, 2009.