Giles Johnson, Ph.D.

By Frank Marshall Davis
Giles Johnson
had four college degrees
knew the whyfore of this
the wherefore of that
could orate in Latin
or cuss in Greek
and, having learned such things
he died of starvation
because he wouldn’t teach
and he couldn’t porter.

Notes:

“Giles Johnson, Ph.D.” originally appeared in Black Man’s Verse (Black Cat Press, 1935) and is from Black Moods: Collected Poems (University of Illinois Press, 2002). © 2002 Board of Trustees. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.

This poem is part of the portfolio “As Direct as Good Blues: Frank Marshall Davis.” You can read the rest of the portfolio in the December 2023 issue.

Source: Poetry (December 2023)