Carl Sandburg was a Swedish-American author who won three Pulitzer Prizes throughout his lifetime and is widely regarded as a literary genius. He is remembered today as one of the most important figures in contemporary literature. One of his best-known works is Chicago Poems, published in 1916.
‘Cahoots’ by Carl Sandburg delves into the dark underbelly of a corrupt city, exposing the collusion and exploitation that thrive within its power structures.
Play it across the table.
What if we steal this city blind?
If they want any thing let 'em nail it down.
Harness bulls, dicks, front office men,
‘Chicago’ written by Carl Sandburg is a poem of admiration and self-defense. It was published in his collection ‘Chicago Poems.’
Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
‘Losers’ by Carl Sandburg is a moving poem that tries to empathize with historical figures renowned for their tragedy and flaws.
If I should pass the tomb of Jonah
I would stop there and sit for awhile;
Because I was swallowed one time deep in the dark
And came out alive after all.
Carl Sandburg’s ‘Flash Crimson’ is an emotionally charged, devotional poem where a speaker is eager to ask God for more hardships. It deals with the themes of devotion, morality, legacy, and the afterlife.
I SHALL cry God to give me a broken foot.
I shall ask for a scar and a slashed nose.
I shall take the last and the worst.
‘Prayers of Steel’ by Carl Sandburg is an original poem. In it, the poet focuses on the imagined dreams of steel.
Lay me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a steel spike.
Drive me into the girders that hold a skyscraper together.
Take red-hot rivets and fasten me into the central girders.
‘To Beachey, 1912‘ by Carl Sandburg is a poem that expresses the author’s appreciation for aviation. The main character of the poem is flying in an airplane, and from high up, he is able to really appreciate the beauty of the blue sky.
Riding against the east,
A veering, steady shadow
Purrs the motor-call
Of the man-bird
‘A Dream Girl’ by Carl Sandburg is a romantic poem that expresses the author’s hope that he will one day find the woman of his dreams.
You will come one day in a waver of love,
Tender as dew, impetuous as rain,
The tan of the sun will be on your skin,
The purr of the breeze in your murmuring speech,
‘Fog’ by Carl Sandburg is a poem that expresses the author’s appreciation for the little events that occur in nature. The poem characterizes the fog as a graceful cat, which endears it in the eye of the reader.
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
‘The People, Yes’ is a poem on Abraham Lincoln. Here, the poet talks about his leadership, and how he stood firm against the socio-political problems of his time.
Lincoln?
He was a mystery in smoke and flags
Saying yes to the smoke, yes to the flags,
Yes to the paradoxes of democracy,
‘Grass’ by Sandburg personifies nature’s role in healing war’s scars, serving as a compelling reminder of our historical battles’ lessons.
Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all.
Sandburg’s ‘Horses and Men in the Rain’ weaves the contrasting cozy present reflections with the harsh past of laborers and knights.
Let us sit by a hissing steam radiator a winter's day, gray wind pattering frozen raindrops on the window,
And let us talk about milk wagon drivers and grocery delivery boys.
In ‘Jazz Fantasia’ Carl Sandburg conveys his feelings about the rise of jazz music and Black culture in America.
Drum on your drums, batter on your banjoes,
sob on the long cool winding saxophones.
Go to it, O jazzmen.
Sandburg’s ‘Killers’ delves into the grim fate of soldiers, contrasting their vitality with the relentless cycle of war and loss.
I am singing to you
Soft as a man with a dead child speaks;
Hard as a man in handcuffs,
Held where he cannot move:
‘Old Timers’ by Carl Sandburg speaks on the nature of war. Sandburg alludes to the ways in which history repeats itself no matter which country or time period one is in.
On the march of Miltiades’ phalanx I had a haft and head;
I had a bristling gleaming spear-handle.
‘Passers-by’ by Carl Sandburg describes the emotions interpreted and the sights seen by speaker after a walk through the streets of a city.
Passers-by,
Out of your many faces
Flash memories to me
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