Published on Academy of American Poets (https://poets.org)

For a Poet

I have wrapped my dreams in a silken cloth, 
And laid them away in a box of gold;
Where long will cling the lips of the moth,
I have wrapped my dreams in a silken cloth; 
I hide no hate; I am not even wroth
Who found earth’s breath so keen and cold; 
I have wrapped my dreams in a silken cloth, 
And laid them away in a box of gold.

Credit

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on February 7, 2021, by the Academy of American Poets.

About this Poem

“For a Poet” originally appeared in Color (Harper & Bros., 1925).

Author

Countee Cullen

Born on May 30, 1903, in New York City, Countee Cullen was one of the most important voices of the Harlem Renaissance

Date Published: 1925-01-01

Source URL: https://poets.org/poem/poet-2