The+Shinging+Parlor+by+Anita+Scott+Coleman

=The Shining Parlor by Anita Scott Coleman.= It was a drab street... A white man's street... Jabbed with automobiles Streetcars and trucks. Beehived with fruit-vendor stall's Real estate concerns and meat shops Dental clinics and soft drink stands It was a drab street A white man's street But it held a shining parlor A boot black booth Commandeered by a black man. Who spent much time smiling out. Upon the hub bub of the thorughfare. Ever serenly smiling.... With a brush and a soiled rag in his hands. Often white patrons wait for, Their boots to be.."shined". Wondering the while At the wonder.. Of the black man's smile.

I think the author of this poem was angry at white people having so much power during that time. And that the black man at the parlor had a secret to his smile.That he was doing somthing the white patrons didn't know and it gave him a reason for smiling. And the author of this poem was very happy that someone of her race that was very poor had at least a little somthing to smile for. In this poem the author uses repition, by repeating the sentence "It was a drab street.. A white man's street.." throughout the poem. She also is using pause in the same sentence. She uses alliteration when she says " Ever serenly smiling.." and "Wondering the while At the wonder.". What this poem means to me is that when someone trys to make other people work all the time (i.e black slaves in this case) that you can't expect them to do it without a fight. I also feel very happy when I read this poem because she feels deppressed when she looks at "the white man's street" but then she also feels happy when she sees' the black man at the parlor's smile because the white patron's shoes to be "shined" as she puts it, the white patron's wondered why he was smiling because he really had nothing to smile about. So, there is a sense of secrecy between the two people in this poem. I really enjoyed this poem.