Poetry · Chapter
Flight explained
A desperate, urgent poem about a Black man fleeing from a lynch mob after being falsely accused of touching a white woman.
What happens
A desperate, urgent poem about a Black man fleeing from a lynch mob after being falsely accused of touching a white woman. The speaker urges the runner to escape through the swamp, leaving no trace, as the hounds pursue him.
Themes in this chapter
Racial Identity and Oppression
The poem depicts the terror of racial violence and the dehumanizing threat of lynching based on a false accusation.
Death and Mortality
The imminent threat of being 'swung to a tree' underscores the constant presence of death for Black men in this context.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The urgent voice urging the runner to flee.
Key passages
“Plant your toes in the cool swamp mud; Step and leave no track. Hurry, sweating runner! The hounds are at your back.”
Move silently through the swamp, leaving no footprints. Run fast—the dogs are chasing you.
The speaker instructs the fugitive to use the swamp to hide his trail from the pursuing hounds.
“No, I didn’t touch her. White flesh ain’t for me.”
I never touched that white woman; I know better than to do that.
The runner protests his innocence, acknowledging the racial taboo that has put him in danger.
“Hurry! Black boy, hurry! Or they’ll swing you to a tree!”
Run faster, young Black man, or they will hang you from a tree.
The final lines escalate the urgency, warning of the lynching that awaits if he is caught.