Poetry · Chapter
Laughers explained
A celebratory catalog of Black workers and artists—dishwashers, elevator boys, jazzers, nurses, loaders, comedians—who persist as dreamers, storytellers, dancers, and defiant laughers even while held in the hands of Fate.
What happens
A celebratory catalog of Black workers and artists—dishwashers, elevator boys, jazzers, nurses, loaders, comedians—who persist as dreamers, storytellers, dancers, and defiant laughers even while held in the hands of Fate.
Themes in this chapter
Resilience and Joy
The poem exalts laughter, dancing, and singing as acts of defiance and survival under Fate's control.
Poverty and Class Struggle
Lists low-wage occupations (dish-washers, elevator-boys, crap-shooters) to highlight the class positions of the laughers.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker claims 'My people' as a collective, identifying with the community of workers and artists.
Key passages
“Loud laughers in the hands of Fate— My people.”
Despite being at the mercy of destiny, my community laughs loudly and unapologetically.
Emphasizes the central paradox of joy amid powerlessness.
“Dream-singers all— My people.”
Every one of them is a dreamer who sings their hopes into existence.
Reinforces the theme of resilience through creative expression.