| Carl Sandburg (1878–1967). Chicago Poems. 1916. |
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| 43. Nigger |
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| I AM the nigger. | |
| Singer of songs, | |
| Dancer… | |
| Softer than fluff of cotton… | |
| Harder than dark earth | 5 |
| Roads beaten in the sun | |
| By the bare feet of slaves… | |
| Foam of teeth … breaking crash of laughter… | |
| Red love of the blood of woman, | |
| White love of the tumbling pickaninnies… | 10 |
| Lazy love of the banjo thrum… | |
| Sweated and driven for the harvest-wage, | |
| Loud laugher with hands like hams, | |
| Fists toughened on the handles, | |
| Smiling the slumber dreams of old jungles, | 15 |
| Crazy as the sun and dew and dripping, heaving life of the jungle, | |
| Brooding and muttering with memories of shackles: | |
| I am the nigger. | |
| Look at me. | |
| I am the nigger. | 20 |
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