"Cross," by the American poet Langston Hughes (1902–1967), is a short poem about the challenges of being a biracial person in a racist society. The poem's speaker, who was born to a white father and a Black mother, feels deep uncertainty about life due to this biracial heritage. "Being neither white nor black," the speaker wonders what life holds in store and struggles to navigate the ambiguities of biracial identity in a prejudiced world. First published in The Weary Blues in 1926, during the artistic movement known as the Harlem Renaissance, "Cross" is a critique of racism and a poignant testament to complex racial experience.
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The Full Text of “Cross”
1My old man’s a white old man
2And my old mother’s black.
3If ever I cursed my white old man
4I take my curses back.
5If ever I cursed my black old mother
6And wished she were in hell,
7I’m sorry for that evil wish
8And now I wish her well.
9My old man died in a fine big house.
10My ma died in a shack.
11I wonder where I’m gonna die,
12Being neither white nor black?
The Full Text of “Cross”
1My old man’s a white old man
2And my old mother’s black.
3If ever I cursed my white old man
4I take my curses back.
5If ever I cursed my black old mother
6And wished she were in hell,
7I’m sorry for that evil wish
8And now I wish her well.
9My old man died in a fine big house.
10My ma died in a shack.
11I wonder where I’m gonna die,
12Being neither white nor black?
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“Cross” Summary
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“Cross” Themes
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Racism and Biracial Identity
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Cross”
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Lines 1-2
My old man’s a white old man
And my old mother’s black. -
Lines 3-4
If ever I cursed my white old man
I take my curses back. -
Lines 5-8
If ever I cursed my black old mother
And wished she were in hell,
I’m sorry for that evil wish
And now I wish her well. -
Lines 9-10
My old man died in a fine big house.
My ma died in a shack. -
Lines 11-12
I wonder where I’m gonna die,
Being neither white nor black?
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“Cross” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Rhetorical Question
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Juxtaposition
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Repetition
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Parallelism
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Alliteration
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Consonance
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Pun
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“Cross” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Old Man
- Cursed/Curses
- Shack
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Cross”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Cross” Speaker
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“Cross” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Cross”
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More “Cross” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a reading of "Cross."
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What Is Jazz Poetry? — An introduction to Jazz Poetry, a writing style Hughes played an important part in creating.
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Hughes's Life and Work — A short biography of Hughes from the Academy of American Poets.
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What Was the Harlem Renaissance? — An immersive introduction to the Harlem Renaissance, the literary movement Hughes helped to shape.
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The Poet's Voice — Langston Hughes reads three of his poems.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Langston Hughes
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