Glossary of Poetic Terms

The blues poem is a form that originates in African American oral and musical traditions. A blues poem typically follows a form wherein the first line presents a statement, the second offers a variation on that statement, and the third introduces an ironic alternative.Ralph Ellison noted that, while blues often reflect struggle and depression, they also convey a spirit of determination to overcome adversity. This resilience is a defining feature of blues poetry.See Langston Hughes’s “The Weary Blues,” Sterling A. Brown’s “Riverbank Blues,” and Cornelius Eady’s “I’m a Fool to Love You.”