My name is Wayétu Moore.  I'm going to be reading "A Song" by Paul Laurence Dunbar.  This book of poems was a gift from a really great friend of mine in college.  He was the friend who encouraged me to pursue creative writing.  He bought me this book and he said, "You should check it out," and so we would read the poems together and this particular poem, we read quite frequently and he was the inspiration for my creative career and so, as a result, this poem is very important to me.

A Song

Thou art the soul of a summer's day,
Thou art the breath of the rose.
   But the summer is fled
   And the rose is dead;
Where are they gone, who knows, who knows?

Thou art the blood of my heart o' hearts,
Thou art my soul's repose,
   But my heart grows numb

   And my soul is dumb;
Where art though, love, who knows, who knows?

Thou art the hope of my after years--
Sun for my winter snows;
   But the years go by
   'Neath a clouded sky.
Where shall we meet, who knows, who knows?