The Bean Eaters
They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair.
Dinner is a casual affair.
Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood,
Tin flatware.
Two who are Mostly Good.
Two who have lived their day,
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting things away.
And remembering ...
Remembering, with twinklings and twinges,
As they lean over the beans in their rented back room that is full of beads and receipts and dolls and cloths, tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes.
Gwendolyn Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an influential American poet, author, and teacher, recognized as the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for her 1949 collection, Annie Allen.
Her poetry often explored the lives and struggles of ordinary people in her community, blending Modernist techniques with Black idioms. Brooks published over 20 books, including notable works like A Street in Bronzeville (1945) and The Bean Eaters (1960).
She was also the first Black woman to serve as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.
