Poem of the Day: "Life is Fine" by Langston Hughes

"Life is Fine" by Langston Hughes is the Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for May 20, 2014.  A link to the poem may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/life-fine.

James Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967) (pictured) was known for his influence on the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.  He wrote eleven plays and several novels as well as a large body of poetry.  Additional biographical information may be found here:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/langston-hughes.

"Life is Fine" is organized in three verses each beginning with a ballad-like quatrain that is followed by a chorus quatrain, that is followed by a second chorus singlet.  There is a Negro spiritual feel to the flow of the poem, as though the poem wants to be sung rather than recited.  The message is at once humorous and profound--that life may be a struggle and at times not seem worth living, but ultimately, life is indeed "fine."