His great poems live on in honour of his name
The one who knew of poverty and also of fame.
From Dayton Ohio one of him can say
That he was a man who came up the hard way
The passion for life in his young heart did burn
You read his poems once and to them you’ll return.
He died at thirty three years of age a century ago
Yet even in death his legend seems to grow
And though he breathed his last in his literary prime
His legacy of genius stands the test of time.
The poet Paul Laurence Dunbar a literary great
In his great poetry life he did celebrate
A beautiful man with a beautiful mind
His equals have never been easy to find.
In the World of literature a leading light
In his short writing span marvellous poems he did write
He came up the hard way in his climb to renown
‘Tis true that a good one cannot be kept down.