The Buckley School's founder believed all public speakers should hone their presentation skills by reading poetry out loud. We keep that worthwhile practice alive by including a poem in our magazine each month for you to read aloud. Above, Paul Laurence Dunbar photographed when he was around 18 years old.
"A plea, that upward to Heaven he flings— I know why the caged bird sings!"
– a line from Dunbar's poem "Sympathy"
A friend of the Wright brothers and Frederick Douglass, author of 12 poetry collections and five novels, a librarian at the Library of Congress--in his short 33 years, Paul Laurence Dunbar lived an impressive and full life.
It's not the first time we've featured a Dunbar poem in hopes you'll find inspiration in both his life and his words. Here's a short poem to read aloud.
Preparation
The little bird sits in the nest and sings
A shy, soft song to the morning light;
And it flutters a little and prunes its wings.
The song is halting and poor and brief,
And the fluttering wings scarce stir a leaf;
But the note is a prelude to sweeter things,
And the busy bill and the flutter slight
Are proving the wings for a bolder flight!
