# Flight explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Langston Hughes.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The urgent voice urging the runner to flee.

## Key lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters/flight
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters