Life Is Fine

This is a poem by Langston Hughes that I included on one of my other sites for Poetry Month. To learn more about Langston Hughes, check out the link above or in the sidebar.

LIFE IS FINE
by Langston Hughes



I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.

But it was … Cold in that water! … It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.

But it was … High up there! … It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love—
But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry—
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! … Fine as wine! … Life is fine!

From "The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes," published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Copyright ©1994 The Estate of Langston Hughes.