and this is perhaps why his poetry manages to become readily accessible to such a large and heterogenous group of readers. “Midwinter Blues” chronicles the lament of a middle-aged woman in regards to her lost love. She remarks, “Don’t know’s I’d mind his goin’ / But he left when the coal was low. Now, if a man loves a woman / That ain’t no time to go” (9 - 12). Despite its simple, Southern language, this rhythmic account of sad misfortune sheds an extremely perceptive light on the politics of love and the harsh reality of a Black woman’s world. Similarly, when the woman says, “He told me that he loved me. He must a been tellin’ a lie. But he’s the only man I’ll / love till the day I die” (15 - 18), she brings a heartfelt, poignant honesty to poetic representation of 1920s reality. Hughes’ use of repetition both reaffirms the truth of this ethos and brings a bit of humour to the plight of Negro womanhood, particularly in the last stanza:I’m gonna buy me a rose budAn’ plant it at my back door,Buy me a rose bud,plant it at my back door,So when I’m dead they won’t needNo flowers from the store. (19 -24)In a manner similar to the last part of “The Weary Blues,” the last bit of “Midwinter Blues” seems surprisingly life-affirming. Although the woman blatantly addresses her physical death and the emotional death of her relationship, the notion of planting flowers indicates a concrete movement toward life and cyclic hope. In this fashion, “Midwinter Blues” also becomes a fully realized product of Hughes’ Blues aesthetic, healing itself while wallowing in its pain.Throughout his work, Hughes develops and relies on a sensitive, self-conscious poetic voice -- a voice which sheds light on the African-American experience through its incisive use of simple, direct, descriptive language. This...
