If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. If We Must Die (l. 5-8). . . Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, The. Richard Ellmann and Robert O'Clair, eds. (2d ed., 1988) W. W. Norton & Company.)

Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. If We Must Die (l. 13-14). . . Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, The. Richard Ellmann and Robert O'Clair, eds. (2d ed., 1988) W. W. Norton & Company.)

Oh some I know! I have embalmed the days,
Even the sacred moments when we played,
All innocent of passion, uncorrupt,
At noon and evening in the flame-heart's shade.

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican. Flame-Heart (l. 26-29). . . Caroling Dusk; an Anthology of Verse by Negro Poets. Countee Cullen, ed. (1927) Harper & Brothers.)

I have forgotten much, but still remember
The poinsettia's red, blood-red in warm December.

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. Flame-Heart (l. 9-10). . . Caroling Dusk; an Anthology of Verse by Negro Poets. Countee Cullen, ed. (1927) Harper & Brothers.)

Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. America (l. 1-4). . . Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, The. Richard Ellmann and Robert O'Clair, eds. (2d ed., 1988) W. W. Norton & Company.)

The shivering birds beneath the eaves
Have sheltered for the night.

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. After the Winter (l. 3-4). . . Poetry of Black America, The; Anthology of the 20th Century. Arnold Adoff, ed. (1973) Harper & Row.)

The pavement slabs burn loose beneath my feet,
A chafing savage, down the decent street;
And passion rends my vitals as I pass,
Where boldly shines your shuttered door of glass.

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. The White House (l. 5-8). . . Norton Introduction to Poetry, The. J. Paul Hunter, ed. (3d ed., 1986) W. W. Norton & Company.)

And, hungry for the old, familiar ways,
I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. The Tropics in New York (l. 11-12). . . Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, The. Richard Ellmann and Robert O'Clair, eds. (2d ed., 1988) W. W. Norton & Company.)

Oh, I must keep my heart inviolate
Against the potent poison of your hate.

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. The White House (l. 13-14). . . Norton Introduction to Poetry, The. J. Paul Hunter, ed. (3d ed., 1986) W. W. Norton & Company.)

The wine-flushed, bold-eyed boys, and even the girls,
Devoured her with their eager, passionate gaze;
But looking at her falsely-smiling face,
I knew her self was not in that strange place.

(Claude McKay (1889-1948), U.S.-Jamaican poet. The Harlem Dancer (l. 11-14). . . Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, The. Richard Ellmann and Robert O'Clair, eds. (2d ed., 1988) W. W. Norton & Company.)